Rosa laevigata, the Cherokee rose,[1] is a white, fragrant rose native to southern China and Taiwan south to Laos and Vietnam, and invasive in the United States.
| Rosa laevigata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Rosa |
| Species: | R. laevigata |
| Binomial name | |
| Rosa laevigata | |
Description
It is an evergreen climbing shrub, scrambling over other shrubs and small trees to heights of up to 5–10 metres (16–33 ft). The leaves are 3–10 centimetres (1.2–3.9 in) long, with usually three leaflets, sometimes five leaflets, bright glossy green and glabrous. The flowers are 6–10 centimetres (2.4–3.9 in) diameter, fragrant, with pure white petals and yellow stamens, and are followed by bright red and bristly hips 2–4 centimetres (0.79–1.57 in) diameter. The flower stem is also very bristly.
Cultivation
The species was introduced to the southeastern United States in about 1780, where it soon became naturalized, and was then given its English common name.
Cultural references
The flower has no association to Cherokee culture. It is a non-indigenous invasive species that climbs over and smothers existing vegetation.
Though it has no connection to the Cherokee Nation, it is occasionally used as a symbol of Cherokee resistance following their eviction from the southern United States via the Trail of Tears.