© September '11 photo by smck |
This fruit of the wild rose that grows along the shore in profusion in many places - this particular photo being taken at the Mointeach - ripens to an edible fruit in September. I am not certain but I believe that this is 'Rosa Rugosa' originally native to Asia but long ago introduced to North America. The 'hip' is quite tasty and I eat them by the handful - but you must be very careful while eating them as the center seed mass is surrounded by very prickly fine hair like growths (which when dried and crushed have often been sold as 'itching powder'). The rose hip is exceedingly rich in vitamin C. For those who like to make jelly and jam this is a good candidate.
The following web site refers to Rosa Rugosa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa