Thread: Mystery Weed
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Old 04-02-2008, 10:34 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Nick Maclaren Nick Maclaren is offline
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Default Mystery Weed


In article ,
Sacha writes:
|
| I think it is the Comfrey, Nick. I looked at photos of the two side by side
| and the one Malisobel has looks like what we have here and call Comfrey. We
| just dig masses of it out at a time because it does, indeed, spread like
| wildfire. The enchanter's nightshade - v. pretty! - seems to have a whiter
| and more open flower that doesn't droop into such closed bells as Comfrey
| does.

Boggle. If it is the common comfrey, it will have BIG leaves (20-50 cm
long), and large, fleshy roots; it also doesn't root run, and spreads
by seed. I am not familiar with the other comfreys, but CTW says that
they all have fleshy or tuberous roots. Enchanter's nightshade doesn't.

Of course, it is quite possible that different parts of the country
call different plants "comfrey" - and, as I said, there are comfreys
with which I am not familiar :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.