The former state flower, the Cherokee Rose, is an invasive species native to Southeast Asia, not Georgia. The new state flower, the Sweetbay Magnolia, is native to Georgia and supports local wildlife.

Georgia is changing its state flower from the non-native Cherokee Rose to the native Sweetbay Magnolia, a move supported by the Georgia Native Plant Society.

Georgia’s state flower has been the Cherokee rose since 1916. New legislation seeks to make sweetbay magnolia the state flower. The Cherokee rose is labeled "invasive," the script says. ATLANTA - ...