The Herbarium
Part XII · Lookalikes
Field pair
Foxglove for comfrey
Foxglove and Comfrey — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.
Deadly mix-upTea kettle
Foxglove for comfrey
The worst garden story in this folio: Digitalis in a kettle meant for Symphytum. Cardiac glycosides are not a wound tea.
Foxglove is a tall spike of thimble bells, leaves in a basal rosette with a distinct network of veins sunk in the blade. Comfrey is coarse, bristly, and bells hang in a coil, not a steeple. If it is not in flower, it is not tea.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.