THE HISTORY OF SYMPHYTUM ASPERUM LEPECH. AND S. x UPLANDICUM NYMAN IN BRITAIN

who had been appointed head gardener at the Palace of St. Petersburg, and who between 1790 and 1801 sent to Conrad Loddiges several species of Symphytum including S. asperum. '*' During the first half of the 19th century S. asperum was grown as a fodder plant, but to what degree is difficult to determine owing to confusion with S. X uplandicum. As a naturalised plant S. asperum is extremely rare and I have been able to confirm only about 20 records extending over 120 years. It is a less persistent species than most comfreys and appears to have died out in most of its recorded localities in Britain. Tutin (1956) suggests that the introduction of S. asperum and its hybridisation with the native S. officinale gave rise to S. X uplandicumin this country. That such a hybridisa-tion may have taken place in Britain is not disputed; indeed there may be some slight grounds for supposing tllat S. X uplandicum in the Oakford Valley near Bath had such an origin, since S. asperum was collected in that locality in 1834 and 1868 by C. C. Babington and T. B. Flower respectively. It seems, however, to have disappeared by 1879. C. Bucknall searched for it w thout success during 1910-12, but he did find S. X uplandicum growing abundantly and hybridising freely with S. officinale. Against the view thii