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Violet flowers up close.

Flowers and foliage.

Growth habit early in the season.

Growth habit in full bloom.

Additional flowers and foliage.

Flowers up close.

More flowers.

Foliage and pink flowers.

Boraginaceae

A coarse, bristling plant with rhizomatous roots that can become invasive. Leaves are wide and lanceolate with rough hairs that can cause skin irritation. Bell-shaped flowers bloom in scorpioid panicles. A vigorous plant.

Plant Type: perennial

Plant Form or Habit: rounded/mounded

Plant Use: In wild gardens and in herb gardens.

Propagation:

seed
division

Flower Color:

purple
violet
lavender
pink
white

Bloom Period:

late spring
early summer
mid-summer

Width: Minimum: 12 inches     Maximum: 48 inches

Foliage Texture: coarse

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4

Water Requirements: average

Additional Comments: A sprawling plant, S. officinale often topples over even in full sun. May need staking. Its common names originate from its use in healing fractures (comfrey comes from the Roman term "conferva," which means "join together"). Comfrey also is used for skin irritation, dermatological diseases, bruises, and ulcers as well as for arthritis, sprains, and hemorrhoids among other things. Taken internally, it is reputed to aid in gastric and bowel diseases. Because it can cause liver damage and cancer in lab animals, its use in pill form is banned in some countries. Teas, tinctures, and external uses are deemed safe.