365 Urban Species. #306: Wild Radish

[urbpan]

Photos by cottonmanifesto.

Urban species #306: Wild radish Raphanus raphanistrum


Just when we thought we weren't going to see any more urban wildflowers this year, cottonmanifesto came across this weed. Growing in front of a parking garage near our house, its four-petaled, cross-shaped blossoms tell us that it's in the mustard family (Brassicaea). The fact that it's blooming in November tells us that it is probably wild radish. Wild radish is a cold-loving weed, that germinates in late fall, and survives the winter as a rosette. The flowers can bloom as early as April or as late as November. It grows disturbed soil and waste areas; it's kind of surprising that it isn't a more common weed in Boston, but there are many other members of the mustard family here that will grow in the same habitat. Competition from its relatives--almost all deliberately introduced food plants from Eurasia--is probably the reason we've only seen one wild radish this year.