Cherokee Rose Flower; Georgia State Flower

Apart of Erica Catherine's US State Flower Collection, the Cherokee Rose flower represents the State of Georgia. The white flowers are shown on top of a peach color background.

The Cherokee Rose Flower was adopted as the state flower in 1916. A native flower to china and Taiwan, the flower was brought to the Unites States in the early 1700s. . The Cherokee Rose was made the state flower due to the urging of women's clubs across the state. The flower blooms in early spring (and sometimes again in the fall) and has a waxy white color petal with vivid green leaves. After blooming the plant produces a fruit called a rosehip that is used for medical purposes and includes a large amount of vitamin C. You can see these climbing shrubs growing upwards to 16 to 33 feet and was widely sold in the 1800s as shrubs to line walkways and fence lines. Many think the state flower is the peach, however that is actually Georgia's state fruit and the reason the Georgia is know as the "Peach State". As a tribute to the well know state fruit the color for this state design is reminiscent of the Georgia Peach.

Inspired by the natural and antique details that call to Erica's Old soul, she aims to bring that special spirit to all of her designs. Each drawing is created by hand using a mixture of graphite drawing with watercolor layering over the top to create the ethereal and vintage inspired work that harks back to turn of the century botanical illustration.