Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Boraginales? order assignment uncertain
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Symphytum asperum
FAMILY
Boraginaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
This Eurasian species is reported in Gray's Manual of Botany (Fernald, 1950) as occurring south to MD; it may occur in our area, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphytum asperum
FAMILY
Boraginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphytum asperum
COMMON NAME:
Prickly Comfrey
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_syas2_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm0305w_18
May Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
Corolla 10–15 mm, pink, turning deep blue or purple, per Jepson eFlora, University of California, Berkeley.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Symphytum asperum
FAMILY
Boraginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Symphytum asperum
FAMILY
Boraginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Symphytum asperum
1926
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: the Caucasus
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Pink turning blue or purple
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed campanulate corolla
5 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Schizocarp of specialized mericarps (nutlets)
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".