Feedin' on the median

[urbpan]

When I did my most recent Urban Nature Walk, at Boston University, the first thing I noticed was this line of shrubbery along the edge of the trolley track, in the median of Commonwealth Avenue. I jaywalked, as Bostonians do, and verified my distance-identification:


Rosa rugosa, the beach rose! An invasive species that flourishes in poor soil, and produces a delicious edible fruit! Apparently the part we eat, just the skin, isn't a true fruit for botanical reasons, and the hairy bunch of seeds in the center is the original source of novelty itching powder. I picked a few and passed them around to the walk participants, who seemed to enjoy them. They were quite tasty, I suspect they had been through a frost, which is known to improve their flavor.