COMMON COMFREY Symphytum officinale (Boraginaceae) Height to 1m. Roughly hairy perennial with strikingly winged stems. Grows in damp ground beside rivers and ditches. FLOWERS are 12-18mm long and tubular to bell-shaped; colour varies but usually white, pink or purple, and borne in curved clusters (May-Jun). FRUITS are shiny nutlets. LEAVES are oval and hairy, the upper ones clasping, and the stalk running down the main stem. STATUS-Widespread; common only in C and S England.