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Cherokee rose, the state flower of Georgia

The state flower of Georgia is the Cherokee rose, a climbing rose with large, single white flowers, adopted in 1916. The law that chose it called it native to Georgia, but it actually comes from China and Southeast Asia. In 2026 a bill to replace it with the native sweetbay magnolia passed the state Senate but not the House, so the Cherokee rose remains Georgia's floral emblem.

Verified October 23, 2026 against the state's law and field guides

Cherokee rose
Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata). Photo: work of the United States federal Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How to recognize it

The Cherokee rose is a vigorous evergreen climbing rose, armed with hooked prickles, that can scramble over shrubs and trees to a height of about 16 feet. Its leaves are glossy and smooth, usually made of three toothed leaflets.

Its flowers are what people notice. Each is a single, pure white bloom about three to four inches across, with five broad petals around a large cluster of golden stamens, and they are fragrant. The main bloom comes in early spring, in March and April, sometimes with a second flush in autumn. The flowers are followed by red hips covered in bristles.

A rose from Asia

Despite its name and its long association with Georgia, the Cherokee rose is not native to North America. It comes from southern China, Taiwan and Indochina, and the USDA lists it as an introduced plant. It had been grown in Georgia since about 1780, and the French botanist André Michaux first described it scientifically in 1803 from plants growing there, which is why many people long believed it was an American wildflower. It has since naturalized along roadsides and in low woods across the coastal plain of the South.

Where to see it

Look for the Cherokee rose along roadsides, fences and woodland edges in the coastal plain of south Georgia, and in gardens across the state. The white flowers are at their best in March and April.

Adopted in 1916

The Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs asked the legislature to make the Cherokee rose the state floral emblem, and a joint resolution approved by Governor Nathaniel Harris on August 18, 1916, did so. The resolution described the rose as indigenous to Georgia. The designation is now section 50-3-53 of the Official Code of Georgia.

The 2026 attempt to replace it

Because the Cherokee rose is a non-native plant that can spread aggressively, native-plant advocates have pushed for a change. Senate Bill 240 of 2026 proposed replacing it with the sweetbay magnolia, a native tree with fragrant creamy-white flowers, and naming April Georgia Native Plant Month. The bill passed the Senate unanimously in March 2026 and was reported favorably by a House committee, but it never came to a vote in the House before the session ended. The Cherokee rose remains Georgia’s official floral emblem.

Questions about the Georgia state flower

What is the state flower of Georgia?
The Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata), the state floral emblem since a joint resolution approved on August 18, 1916.
Is the Cherokee rose native to Georgia?
No. It comes from southern China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It had been growing in Georgia since about 1780 and was first described by botanists from Georgia plants, which is why it was long thought to be American.
Did Georgia change its state flower to the magnolia?
No. Senate Bill 240 of 2026 would have replaced the Cherokee rose with the native sweetbay magnolia. It passed the Senate unanimously but did not pass the House before the session ended, so the Cherokee rose remains the official emblem.
What is Georgia's state wildflower?
Georgia's state wildflower is the native azalea, a designation that covers all of the state's native azalea species.

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