History of the Georgia State Flower
The Cherokee rose, also referred to as the camellia rose, is the official state flower of Georgia. The Cherokee rose has a legend attached to it pertaining to the Cherokee Indians that lived in the state. The flower grows throughout Georgia and was promoted to become the state flower by gardening clubs throughout the state.
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Time frame
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At the urging of the Federation of Women's Clubs, the Cherokee rose became Georgia's state flower on Aug. 18, 1916. The Georgia General Assembly adopted Joint Resolution number 42 stating that Georgia had selected the Cherokee rose because many states had official state flowers that were "indigenous to the soil of the State."
Misconceptions
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The resolution referred to the Cherokees as "aborigines" in the text of the document that makes the camellia rose the Georgia floral emblem. It also made the mistake of stating that the Cherokee rose was an indigenous plant that grew in every county. In reality, the plant had made its way to Georgia from the Orient in the mid-1700s. The Cherokee were responsible for spreading the flower around Georgia some time after that.
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Legend
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In 1838, the U.S. government forced Cherokees across the eastern half of the nation to leave their homes and sent them off to Western reservations by way of the now infamous "Trail of Tears." Legend has it that the women of the tribe were so upset that tribal elders sought a sign from their gods to give the women hope. Where the women had cried, a rose blossomed from the tears.
Recent history
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The shrub that bears the Cherokee rose is a popular landscaping plant. It grows quickly and gardeners need to take great care that the plant does not dominate an area. Various festivals celebrate the Georgia state flower, including the Georgia Rose Scholarship Pageant in Columbus. The garden association of Georgia awards a Cherokee rose scholarship in Athens each year.
Description
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The Cherokee rose grows in places such as Taiwan, China and Laos. A thorny plant that can attain a height of 20 feet in some specimens, it bears vibrant green leaves and blossoms briefly in the latter portion of March and early April. The flowers themselves are yellow in the middle surrounded by white petals, and are very fragrant. The plant is resistant to drought and some years it will blossom a second time.
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