Symphytum cordatum

Cordate Comfrey Boraginaceae

Symphytum cordatum is a particularly good little comfrey for the woodland garden, forming a low, spreading clump of softly hairy, heart-shaped leaves rather than the rather monumental foliage produced by some of its better-known relatives. From late spring into early summer, short stems carry nodding tubular flowers, typically pale yellowish-white to cream, with the rather understated colouring allowing the handsome foliage to do much of the work. It is a considerably more refined plant than the word ‘comfrey’ might suggest.

Native to the Carpathians, its natural range extends through Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Ukraine, where it is a rhizomatous perennial of temperate habitats. Kew currently accepts Symphytum cordatum as the correct name. 

The specific epithet cordatum means heart-shaped, an obvious reference to the foliage. The species was published by Carl Ludwig Willdenow in 1799, based on material attributed to Waldstein and Kitaibel. Two later names, Symphytum cordifolium and S. pannonicum, are now treated as synonyms. 

This is one of those useful plants for the cooler, shadier parts of the garden, particularly where a low-growing foliage plant is required rather than the exuberance of S. officinale. The rhizomatous habit allows it to form a respectable colony with time, but it lacks the reputation for rampant behaviour associated with some comfreys. Give it woodland conditions and it is a handsome and rather unusual ground-covering perennial.

Cultivation: Grow in partial shade or shade in humus-rich, fertile soil that remains reasonably moist. It is particularly good beneath deciduous trees or amongst ferns and other woodland plants. Avoid excessively dry soil in summer.

Height: 15–35 cm, occasionally to 50 cm
Spread: 30–45 cm
Flowering period: May–June
Position: Partial shade to shade
Soil: Humus-rich, fertile and moist but well drained
Hardiness: H6, suitable for even very cold parts of Britain
Family: Boraginaceae
Common name: Heart-leaved comfrey