Green Grass Grove
Connecting specimen records, habitat data, and the living archive.
Comfrey / Bocking 14
Symphytum × uplandicum NymanComfrey / Bocking 14 is maintained at Green Grass Grove as a named cultivar or selection with value for pollinator habitat, living-collection research, and public interpretation. Large sterile clump-forming comfrey clone with coarse hairy leaves, deep roots, and repeated flushes of bell-shaped flowers. At the Live Oak site, management centers on 'bocking 14' tolerates north florida winters and vigorous warm-season growth, but it can wilt…
Botanical Overview
Comfrey / Bocking 14 is maintained at Green Grass Grove as a named cultivar or selection with value for pollinator habitat, living-collection research, and public interpretation. Large sterile clump-forming comfrey clone with coarse hairy leaves, deep roots, and repeated flushes of bell-shaped flowers. At the Live Oak site, management centers on 'bocking 14' tolerates north florida winters and vigorous warm-season growth, but it can wilt in drought and decline in saturated crowns, accurate accession labeling, and seasonal performance records.
Ethnobotanical, Bioactive & Cultural Documentation
Cultivar-specific claims are used where the name is verified; otherwise values are species-level, regional extension guidance, or clearly identified operational inference for Live Oak, Florida.
Cultivation is not treated as controlled, but medicinal, food, feed, and product claims require separate regulatory and toxicological review. The clone is propagated vegetatively and should remain contained.
Why We Feature This Specimen
At Green Grass Grove, Comfrey / Bocking 14 provides a focused demonstration of herb production under North Florida heat and humidity. Visitors can compare flowering, wildlife use, drought or moisture response, and seasonal maintenance without exposing private inventory or location data.
Climate & Protection
Cold protection trigger: Begin cold protection below 38 °F. The cold-damage threshold is the lower temperature where injury becomes likely, not the recommended waiting point.
Sun / Light: Full sun to partial shade.
'Bocking 14' tolerates North Florida winters and vigorous warm-season growth, but it can wilt in drought and decline in saturated crowns. Place it where its permanent clump and large foliage will not obstruct paths.
Heat-zone and verification notes
Not assigned; use seasonal temperature and site-performance guidance.
Planting & Seasonal Guide
'Bocking 14' tolerates North Florida winters and vigorous warm-season growth, but it can wilt in drought and decline in saturated crowns. Place it where its permanent clump and large foliage will not obstruct paths. Plant at a season that allows roots or seedlings to establish before the profile's main stress period. For Live Oak trials, record sowing or planting date, emergence, first flowering or harvest, storm damage, freeze response, and summer survival.
Starting / Germination: Plant Crown Or Root Divisions With Buds Near Soil Level, The Sterile Clone Is Not Maintained From Seed. Use Clean Seed Starting Media And Steady Moisture Without Saturation. Where Cold Stratification Or Vegetative Maintenance Is Required, Preserve Accession Identity And Label Every Tray Or Division.
Spacing: 3–5 feet apart
Planting Depth: Plant crown or root divisions with buds near soil level; the sterile clone is not maintained from seed.
Pollination: Allow representative healthy plants to flower for seed and pollinator records. Preserve isolation and accession identity where cultivar or provenance matters.
Water, Soil & Nutrition
💧 Water & Moisture
Provide regular moisture for high leaf production while maintaining drainage. Established deep roots improve drought recovery but do not make the crown tolerant of standing water.
North Florida humidity changes the risk profile for this plant. Dense foliage and aromatic herbs should be spaced for rapid leaf drying and watered at the root zone. After heavy rain, inspect crowns and lower foliage for spotting, mildew, or rot, and remove collapsed material before it becomes a disease reservoir.
🌱 Soil & Growing Media
Preferred pH: 6.00 to 7.50
↘ Drainage & Root-Zone Behavior
✦ Nutrition & Deficiency Checks
Use soil testing and moderate, crop-appropriate fertility rather than a universal fertilizer recipe. Leaf and shoot harvests respond to balanced fertility, but excessive nitrogen can dilute aroma and attract aphids. On Live Oak's sandy soils, split small applications when feeding is necessary and verify pH before treating suspected micronutrient problems.
Diagnose pale, distorted, or weak growth by checking root condition, moisture, pH, and recent weather before adding fertilizer. Nitrogen shortage may reduce vigor, while iron or magnesium unavailability can cause chlorosis; however, waterlogging, heat injury, root disease, or salt accumulation can produce similar symptoms. Use soil or tissue testing for persistent problems rather than treating leaf color alone.
Growth, Maintenance & Harvest
Maintenance & Pruning
Cut leaves several inches above the crown once plants are well established and allow recovery between cuts. Use gloves because coarse hairs can irritate skin. Pruning should preserve the crown, maintain airflow, and support the intended use. Do not remove more living tissue than the plant can replace during its active season, and sanitize tools between accessions when disease is suspected.
Harvest or Observation
Cut leaves several inches above the crown once plants are well established and allow recovery between cuts. Use gloves because coarse hairs can irritate skin. Use clean tools, avoid harvesting wet diseased material, and record yield or ecological observations by accession. Where the plant is not an ordinary food crop, harvest language refers to research, seed, propagation, or habitat maintenance rather than human consumption.
Storage & Preservation
Use fresh biomass promptly for mulch or compost systems. Keep internal research material separate from human or animal food because pyrrolizidine-alkaloid safety concerns require caution.
Harvestable Plant Parts & Uses
Cut leaves several inches above the crown once plants are well established and allow recovery between cuts. Use gloves because coarse hairs can irritate skin. Use clean tools, avoid harvesting wet diseased material, and record yield or ecological observations by accession. Where the plant is not an ordinary food crop, harvest language refers to research, seed, propagation, or habitat maintenance rather than human consumption.
Propagation, Cloning & Tissue Culture
Propagation Methods
Root Cuttings
Root cuttings propagate plants from detached root segments capable of producing adventitious shoots and new roots. They are useful for selected perennials, woody plants, brambles, horseradish, oriental poppy,…
Open Full Method ↗Crown Division
Crown division separates a multi-crowned herbaceous perennial or clumping plant into sections, each retaining at least one viable shoot bud or crown and an adequate root system. The…
Open Full Method ↗Aquaponics, Hydroponics & Aeroponics
Aquaponics
Aquaponic use is not a default recommendation. Any trial requires strong root aeration, crop-appropriate support, sanitation, and separation from the primary living collection.
Hydroponics
Conventional soil or container production is preferred; no reliable profile-specific hydroponic target is assigned.
Aeroponics
No profile-specific aeroponic recommendation is assigned without controlled trial evidence.
Pests, Diseases, Safety & Toxicology
Scout Comfrey / Bocking 14 for aphids, mites, whiteflies, thrips, leaf miners, caterpillars, slugs, and species-specific root or stem pests. Confirm the organism before treatment and protect flowering beneficial insects.
Monitor Comfrey / Bocking 14 for damping-off during propagation, root or crown rot in saturated media, and leaf spots, rusts, or powdery mildew under humid crowded conditions. Separate disease from heat, freeze, drought, and nutrient injury.
Maintain Comfrey / Bocking 14 in the light, drainage, and containment system appropriate to its identity. Prune or harvest to preserve airflow, prevent unwanted seed or rhizome spread, and replace declining woody or diseased material.
Likely operational problems include 'bocking 14' tolerates north florida winters and vigorous warm-season growth, but it can wilt in drought and decline in saturated crowns, establishment failure from incorrect moisture, and disease where airflow or drainage is poor. Competition, lodging, self-sowing, rhizome spread, or identity drift may also matter depending on the specimen. Do not interpret a single season's performance as a fixed cultivar trait without repeated observations.
Bocking 14 comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Do not infer food, tea, supplement, livestock-feed, or medicinal safety from cultivation. Restrict access by children and animals and use gloves where contact sensitivity occurs.
Wear gloves when sap, coarse hairs, prickly structures, or research roots are handled. Keep plant material and processing waste away from children, pets, and livestock, and label nonfood specimens clearly.