Symphytum officinale L.
(Common Comfrey)

Interactions where Symphytum officinale is the victim or passive partner (and generally loses out from the process)

The following relationships have been collated from the published literature (see 'Interaction References').

Filters:

Affected Part Summary Taxon Vernacular Classification References Darwin Classification of Active Taxon Active Taxon Active Vernacular Active Taxon Uncertain Active State Active Part Active Stage Relationship Relationship Uncertain Relationship Geography Darwin Classification of Passive Taxon Passive Taxon Passive Vernacular Passive Taxon Uncertain Passive State Passive Part Passive Stage Passive Taxon's significance to Active Taxon Indoors etc Season Summary
(live) live is parasitised by sporangium UK/Ireland Peronospora symphyti a downy mildew Peronosporales: Peronosporaceae Microfungi on Land Plants: An Identification Handbook, Ellis, M.B. & J.P., 1997
A Checklist of the Downy Mildews (Peronosporaceae) of the British Isles, Preece, T.F., 2002
 /Chromista/Oomycota/Peronosporea/Peronosporales/Peronosporaceae/Peronospora symphyti/Peronospora symphytia downy mildewsporangium Foodplant / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreylive sporangium parasitises live
(live) live is parasitised by conidial anamorph UK/Ireland Golovinomyces cynoglossi a powdery mildew Erysiphales: Erysiphaceae An Introduction to British Powdery Mildews, Ing, B., 1990
 /Fungi/Ascomycota/Leotiomycetes/Erysiphales/Erysiphaceae/Golovinomyces cynoglossi/Golovinomyces cynoglossia powdery mildewconidial anamorph Foodplant / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreylive conidial anamorph parasitises live
(live) live is parasitised by cleistothecium UK/Ireland Golovinomyces cynoglossi a powdery mildew Erysiphales: Erysiphaceae An Introduction to British Powdery Mildews, Ing, B., 1990
 /Fungi/Ascomycota/Leotiomycetes/Erysiphales/Erysiphaceae/Golovinomyces cynoglossi/Golovinomyces cynoglossia powdery mildewcleistothecium Foodplant / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreylive cleistothecium parasitises live
(rotting) rotting is decayed by larva Paranthomyza nitida an anthomyzid fly Diptera: Anthomyzidae A monograph of Palaearctic Anthomyzidae (Diptera), Part 2, Roháček, J., 2009
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Anthomyzidae/Paranthomyza nitida/Paranthomyza nitidaan anthomyzid flylarva Foodplant / saprobe /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyrotting larva is saprobic on rotting
leaf (petiole) leaf (petiole) may contain larva Restricted Melanagromyza symphyti a leaf-mining fly Diptera: Agromyzidae Diptera: Agromyzidae, Spencer, K.A., 1972
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Agromyzidae/Melanagromyza symphyti/Melanagromyza symphytia leaf-mining flylarva Foodplant / internal feeder /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyleaf (petiole)Sole larva feeds within leaf (petiole)
leaf (petiole) leaf (petiole) may house puparium Restricted Melanagromyza symphyti a leaf-mining fly Diptera: Agromyzidae Diptera: Agromyzidae, Spencer, K.A., 1972
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Agromyzidae/Melanagromyza symphyti/Melanagromyza symphytia leaf-mining flypuparium Plant / resting place / within /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyleaf (petiole)Sole puparium may be found in leaf (petiole)
leaf-mine leaf-mine may house puparium Restricted Phytomyza medicaginis a leaf-mining fly Diptera: Agromyzidae Diptera: Agromyzidae, Spencer, K.A., 1972
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Agromyzidae/Phytomyza medicaginis/Phytomyza medicaginisa leaf-mining flypuparium Plant / resting place / within /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyleaf-mineSole puparium may be found in leaf-mine
leaf leaf is mined by communal larva Restricted Agromyza ferruginosa a leaf-mining fly Diptera: Agromyzidae Diptera: Agromyzidae, Spencer, K.A., 1972
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Agromyzidae/Agromyza ferruginosa/Agromyza ferruginosaa leaf-mining flycommunallarva Foodplant / miner /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyleafSole communal larva mines leaf
leaf leaf is mined by larva Restricted Phytomyza medicaginis a leaf-mining fly Diptera: Agromyzidae Diptera: Agromyzidae, Spencer, K.A., 1972
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Agromyzidae/Phytomyza medicaginis/Phytomyza medicaginisa leaf-mining flylarva Foodplant / miner /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyleafSole larva mines leaf
leaf (live, usually pale and small) live, usually pale and small leaf may be infected and damaged by hypophyllous telium Melampsorella symphyti Comfrey Rust Pucciniales: Pucciniastraceae Microfungi on Land Plants: An Identification Handbook, Ellis, M.B. & J.P., 1997
Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Pucciniomycetes/Pucciniales/Pucciniastraceae/Melampsorella symphyti/Melampsorella symphyticomfrey rusthypophylloustelium Foodplant / pathogen /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreylive, usually pale and smallleaf hypophyllous telium infects and damages live, usually pale and small leaf
leaf (live) live leaf is spotted by mainly hypophyllous colony of Ramularia hyphomycetous anamorph UK/Ireland Ramularia calcea an anamorphic fungus Capnodiales: Mycosphaerellaceae Monograph of Cercosporella, Ramularia and Allied Genera - Vol II, Braun, U., 1998
 /Fungi/Ascomycota/Dothideomycetes/Capnodiales/Mycosphaerellaceae/Ramularia calcea/Ramularia calceaan anamorphic fungusmainly hypophyllouscolonyRamularia hyphomycetous anamorph Foodplant / spot causerUK and/or Eire /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyliveleaf mainly hypophyllous colony of Ramularia hyphomycetous anamorph causes spots on live leaf
leaf (live) live leaf is spotted by mainly hypophyllous colony of Ramularia hyphomycetous anamorph Foreign Ramularia cylindroides (An Anamorphic Fungus) Capnodiales: Mycosphaerellaceae Monograph of Cercosporella, Ramularia and Allied Genera - Vol II, Braun, U., 1998
 /Fungi/Ascomycota/Dothideomycetes/Capnodiales/Mycosphaerellaceae/Ramularia cylindroides/Ramularia cylindroides(an anamorphic fungus)mainly hypophyllouscolonyRamularia hyphomycetous anamorph Foodplant / spot causerForeign /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyliveleaf mainly hypophyllous colony of Ramularia hyphomycetous anamorph causes spots on live leaf
leaf (live) live leaf is spotted by amphigenous colony of Ramularia hyphomycetous anamorph Foreign Ramularia tecta (An Anamorphic Fungus) Capnodiales: Mycosphaerellaceae Monograph of Cercosporella, Ramularia and Allied Genera - Vol II, Braun, U., 1998
 /Fungi/Ascomycota/Dothideomycetes/Capnodiales/Mycosphaerellaceae/Ramularia tecta/Ramularia tecta(an anamorphic fungus)amphigenouscolonyRamularia hyphomycetous anamorph Foodplant / spot causerForeign /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyliveleaf amphigenous colony of Ramularia hyphomycetous anamorph causes spots on live leaf
leaf (live) live leaf is spotted by immersed pycnidium of Septoria coelomycetous anamorph Foreign Septoria symphyti (A Coelomycetous Leaf-spot Fungus) Capnodiales: Mycosphaerellaceae Species of anamorphic fungi rare and new for Poland, Adamska, I., 2007
 /Fungi/Ascomycota/Dothideomycetes/Capnodiales/Mycosphaerellaceae/Septoria symphyti/Septoria symphyti(a coelomycetous leaf-spot fungus)immersedpycnidiumSeptoria coelomycetous anamorph Foodplant / spot causerForeign /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyliveleaf immersed pycnidium of Septoria coelomycetous anamorph causes spots on live leaf
leaf (live) live leaf may be infected and damaged by hypophyllous, often covering whole leaf uredium Melampsorella symphyti Comfrey Rust Pucciniales: Pucciniastraceae Microfungi on Land Plants: An Identification Handbook, Ellis, M.B. & J.P., 1997
Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Pucciniomycetes/Pucciniales/Pucciniastraceae/Melampsorella symphyti/Melampsorella symphyticomfrey rusthypophyllous, often covering whole leafuredium Foodplant / pathogen /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyliveleaf hypophyllous, often covering whole leaf uredium infects and damages live leaf
leaf (live) live leaf is parasitised by circular, bordered, embedded sorus UK/Ireland Entyloma serotinum a smut fungus Entylomatales: Entylomataceae Microfungi on Land Plants: An Identification Handbook, Ellis, M.B. & J.P., 1997
Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota, Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005
Entyloma serotinum Schröter, Mordue, J.E.M., 1970
 /Fungi/Basidiomycota/Ustilaginomycetes/Entylomatales/Entylomataceae/Entyloma serotinum/Entyloma serotinuma smut funguscircular, bordered, embeddedsorus Foodplant / parasiteUK and/or Eire /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreyliveleaf (9)circular, bordered, embedded sorus parasitises live leaf
stem stem may contain larva Restricted Melanagromyza symphyti a leaf-mining fly Diptera: Agromyzidae Diptera: Agromyzidae, Spencer, K.A., 1972
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Agromyzidae/Melanagromyza symphyti/Melanagromyza symphytia leaf-mining flylarva Foodplant / internal feeder /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreystemSole larva feeds within stem
stem stem may house puparium Restricted Melanagromyza symphyti a leaf-mining fly Diptera: Agromyzidae Diptera: Agromyzidae, Spencer, K.A., 1972
 /Animalia/Arthropoda/Insecta/Diptera/Agromyzidae/Melanagromyza symphyti/Melanagromyza symphytia leaf-mining flypuparium Plant / resting place / within /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreystemSole puparium may be found in stem
stem (dead) dead stem is decayed by gregarious or scattered, erumpent through slits apothecium Pirottaea symphyti a discomycete Helotiales: Dermateaceae Microfungi on Land Plants: An Identification Handbook, Ellis, M.B. & J.P., 1997
 /Fungi/Ascomycota/Leotiomycetes/Helotiales/Dermateaceae/Pirottaea symphyti/Pirottaea symphytia discomycetegregarious or scattered, erumpent through slitsapothecium Foodplant / saprobe /Plantae/Tracheophyta/Magnoliopsida/Boraginaceae/Symphytum officinale/Symphytum officinalecommon comfreydeadstem gregarious or scattered, erumpent through slits apothecium is saprobic on dead stem

Author & YearTitleSource
Adamska, I., 2007Species of anamorphic fungi rare and new for PolandActa Mycologica Vol 42 (1): 79-85.
Braun, U., 1998Monograph of Cercosporella, Ramularia and Allied Genera - Vol IIPhytopathogenic Hyphomycetes, 2, 493pp, IHW-Verlag
Ellis, M.B. & J.P., 1997Microfungi on Land Plants: An Identification Handbook2nd (New Enlarged) edition, 868pp, The Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd
Ing, B., 1990An Introduction to British Powdery MildewsMycologist Vol 4 (1) et seq.
Legon, N.W. & Henrici, A. with Roberts, P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Watling, R., 2005Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota517pp, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Mordue, J.E.M., 1970Entyloma serotinum SchröterI.M.I. Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria CMI Descriptions of Pathenogenic Fungi and Bacteria Sheet 962.
Preece, T.F., 2002A Checklist of the Downy Mildews (Peronosporaceae) of the British Isles33pp, British Mycological Society
Roháček, J., 2009A monograph of Palaearctic Anthomyzidae (Diptera), Part 2Cas. Slez. Muz. Opava (A) Vol 58, Supp 1.
Spencer, K.A., 1972Diptera: AgromyzidaeHandbooks for the Identification of British Insects , Vol X. Part 5(g), 136pp, The Royal Entomological Society of London

Symphytum officinale (Common Comfrey) may also be included in 'fed on by' relations listed under the following higher taxa:

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesSymphytum officinale (Common Comfrey)
GenusSymphytum (comfreys)
FamilyBORAGINACEAE (borages, comfreys and forget-me-nots)
SubclassEU-DICOTS (dicotyledonous flowering plants)
ClassMAGNOLIOPSIDA (flowering plants)
PhylumTRACHEOPHYTA (vascular plants)
KingdomPLANTAE (plants)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Symphytum officinale (Common Comfrey)

Symphytum officinale (Common Comfrey) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

Literature listed under the following higher taxa may be relevant to Symphytum officinale (Common Comfrey):

BioImagesBioImages (www.bioimages.org.uk) has 3 images of Symphytum officinale (Common Comfrey)
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