Georgia State Flower

Cherokee Rose (common name)
Rosa laevigata (scientific name)

Overview

This evergreen climbing rose has fragrant white blossoms and is native to southern China, Taiwan, Laos, and Vietnam. It was introduced to United States in 1780 and soon became an invasive species that subsumed other shrubs and vegetation. Like other roses it has thorns on its branches, but it is different in that the thorns are finer and the buds have fewer petals and are more "open" than other roses. The flower is named after the Cherokee Native American tribe. In 1838 thousands of Cherokee people were forced out of Georgia and compelled to relocate east of the Mississippi River in what was called the "Trail of Tears." It was said that whenever a tear dropped, a Cherokee rose grew and that the flower’s golden center symbolized the riches stolen from the Cherokee people.

Close-up

STATUS

Official

ALSO KNOWN AS

Georgia rose, snow-white rose

PHYSICAL DETAILS

Duration: Perennial
Plant: Shrub
Mature Height: 16 ft (5 m)
Flowering: April–June
Flowers: 2.4–3.9 in (6–10 cm) in diameter
Flower Color: white petals, yellow stamens
Leaves: long, usually with 3–5 small, glossy green leaves 1.2–3.9 inches (3–10 cm) in length
Fruit/Seed Color: bright red, bristled rose hips

HABITAT

Location: Found near fields or thicket areas at low elevations in humid, temperate climates.
Range: American Southeast, southern China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

TRIVIA

• The Chinese use the rose in many ways. The bark of the rose’s root contains tannin and is used for dyeing cloth; the fruit (called a "rosehip") is fermented to make wine; and the roots, leaves, and fruit are all used in folk medicines.
• The flower is honored through the annual Miss Georgia Rose Scholarship Pagent in Columbus, the Cherokee Rose Storyteller Festival, and the Cherokee Rose Scholarship, which is handed out by Georgia's garden association.

Click to enlarge an image

Cherokee Rose

Cherokee Rose Bush

Close-up of Cherokee Rose Flower

CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom:	Plantae
Subkingdom:	Tracheobionta
Superdivision:	Spermatophyta
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Subclass:	Rosidae
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Subfamily:	Rosoideae
Genus:	Rosa
Species:	R. laevigata

Author: World Trade Press