Is it possible to tell what type of comfrey this is? Bocking 14 hopefully!

Hi all

I recently moved house. I was lucky enough to find someone local in the last house who kindly gave me some roots of her organic Bocking 14, which I planted and used a lot before moving.

I haven't found any locally yet to use in the new garden. To be honest, I haven't started looking properly yet. But there is some comfrey already in the garden. The trouble is I don't know what type it is and I wondered if anyone can tell from looking whether or not it is Bocking 14. If further pics would help identify, please let me know and I'll take them and post them up.

I'd really like to dig some of the comfrey into the ground where I'll be growing, but don't want to risk spreading it everywhere if it is a fertile type.

Many thanks

 

@Engelbert They do look very similar, but not exactly the same from photos, the flowers on yours appear to be a tad paler to my eyes.

Symphytum × uplandicum 'Bocking 14' - comfrey / Symphytum × uplandicum 'Bocking 14'

Nick

 

If I remember right the "Bocking 14" is sterile and propagated by root cuttings, but otherwise looks almost identical to common comfrey. How to Propagate Comfrey - Propagating Bocking 14 Comfrey

 

Hi all

Many thanks for the helpful replies.

I also asked on another forum, and it was pointed out there that if this wasn't Bocking 14 it would have already spread everywhere by now and the fact it is all well contained within "the patch" would suggest it is Bocking 14... What do you guys think to that?

How quickly and widely does wild comfrey grow? Would it be everywhere within a matter of a couple of years if it wasn't Bocking 14?

Another thing... There are loads of seed heads as per photos two and three. I was thinking I can pop a whole load into a pot of compost and that will tell me for sure whether the seed is fertile or not. Does that sound like a good plan? If so, any tips on how to plant the seed? Most importantly, when do I know the seed is ready to be planted? But any other tips on how to plant the seed would also be most helpful.

Thanks again