365 Urban Species. #166: Multiflora Rose

Location: Arnold Arboretum, Boston.

Urban species #166: Multiflora rose Rosa multiflora

Early in June, exuberant sprays of small white five-petaled blossoms suddenly appear on prickly shrubs and climbing thorn bushes. A week later, the petals drop away, leaving tangles of green barbed wire entwined in fences and hedges. Seasons later, tiny red rose hips dot the places where the many flowers once were.
Multiflora rose is, like many urban species, a mixed curse and blessing. Its brief bright blossoms are a blessing to city people who appreciate seeing ugly weeds turn into showy wildflowers.

Moreover the roses are a blessing to the many birds that feed upon their fruit. Important among these are the mockingbird, who in large part owes its very presence in the northern states to the winter fruit of this alien rose. Introduced from Asia to provide hardy rootstock for ornamental roses, multiflora has naturalized, with birds providing the service of seed dispersal. The rapid-growing, thorny bushes were also planted in many places to act as living fences. This is where the curse part comes in. Multiflora invades and takes over scrubland, crowding out native species, and making large swaths of countryside unpassable. In the fight against invasive species, multiflora rose has the advantage of being able to fight back. This author, among countless others, has been repeatedly bloodied in the battle to control the dreaded roses.

( so many roses )