The lovely Cherokee Rose, originally native to southern China, Taiwan, Laos, and Vietnam, is now the State Flower of Georgia.  

According to one legend, the Cherokee Rose appeared the morning after tribal elders prayed for a sign that would give the Cherokee women strength to survive and help their children along the "Trail of Tears," when the Cherokee nation was forcibly moved from the southeastern United States to Oklahoma in 1838.  The petals symbolize the women's tears; seven leaves on each stem represent the seven Cherokee clans, and the gold center represents the gold that was taken from the Cherokees after it was discovered on their Georgia lands.  (Source:  Cherokee Society of Houston)