Stewart Robert Hinsley writes
In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

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 :-)


The plant usually known as Enchanter's Nightshade is Circaea lutetiana,
which grows in shady places in woods (it took me years to identify
this). This belongs to the Onagraceae. It is not what is shown in the
photograph.

The photograph shows what I would identify as a Symphytum (aka
Comfrey), but I haven't trained myself to recognise the different forms
(and the photograph doesn't seem to be one of the common forms).

I'd assumed, from observation in various gardens, that comfrey did run
at the root, but Google tells me otherwise. Some comfreys don't seed,
and are propagated by division or root cuttings.

There is one leaf in the picture, a little way up from the bottom RH
corner, which could superficially be mistaken for Enchanter's
Nightshade. The others are wrong, being too dull and too undulating -
Enchanter's Nightshade leaves are small and lie smoothly.

But the killer is the flowers which are unmistakeably
forget-me-not/comfrey family and are right for comfrey. And totally
wrong for Enchanter's nightshade (which has small flowers towards the
top of the shoots).

It is perfectly possible for some of the comfreys to have small leaves,
especially when growing in shade or poor soil.


--
Kay