2296) "Fantasies and Flora", Romania: Romfiletelia (Romanian Post) hasissued a set of four stamps featuring the Egret, the Flying Duck, Parrot and the Angel Orchids, which mimic the real birds: Date/Year of Stamp set issue: 29.03.2022):
About Fantasies of the Flora, Romfilatelia:
Romfilatelia has continued with the series of postage stamps dedicated to the "Flora" and put into circulation, on 29.03.2022 a set of four stamps which mimic birds.
The issue is carries four stamps (S), four mini-sheets (MS), a First Day Cover (FDC) and a special philatelic folder (SPF).
About the Flowers which mimic birds:
Diversity, in the natural environment, sometimes appears to be the result of an artist creating shapes and colours whose perfection misleads the viewer, who can perceive a flower's characteristics, as if belonging to another species, such as - birds.
This natural, fanciful occurrence of the environment, has been beautifully depicted in the four postage stamps (with images of rare beauty), which have been given a defining title - "Fantasies of the Flora".
The Egret, the Flying Duck, the Parrot and the Angel are real images of flower species known in the world of botanists as - the Egret Orchid, the Flying Duck Orchid, the Angel Orchid or Dove Orchid and the Parrot Orchid.
To these is added a flower of a special beauty, the Bird of Paradise.
White shade, the flower has two petals that suggest the tail of a bird. Together with a torpedo-shaped central petal, it exposes the "bird’s” body to sight. The stems are adorned with two or three flowers and reach 15-30 cm at maturity.
The flower comes from Japan, Korea, China and Russia, where it grows in swamps and meadows, in areas protected from direct sunlight. The flowers, which appear at the end of summer, last up to four weeks.
ii) The Flying Duck Orchid ("Caleana major"): depicted on the stamp with the face value of Lei 6.50, is a small plant found in southern and eastern Australia.
Its flowers look like a duck in flight. It grows at ground level, in the shade of eucalyptus forests, as well as in swampy areas. It is rarely found in mountain areas. Its name is borrowed from the English botanist George Cali.
Attempts to adapt the plant to domestic cultivation have failed. The plant has a short lifespan.
The insects that land on the Caleana flower are captured as if in a trap that forces them to struggle to escape, ensuring the pollination of the flower. It blooms in spring and in the summer.
iii) The Angel Orchid ("Peristeria elata"): the pigeon orchid or the flower of the „Holy Spirit”, represented on the stamp with the face value of Lei 10, grows in Panama, where it is considered the national flower. It has a unique inflorescence and is a rare orchid. It blooms once a year. Before flowering, the buds look like praying monks. After flowering, the buds turn into „pigeons”. The flower is endangered. It grows in humid forests, at heights of up to 1,000 meters, with flowering periods between June and November, after a five-year wait.
iv) The Parrot Orchid ("Impatiens psittacina") is illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 10.50.
Discovered in 1889 in Burma, the plant is found today in Thailand and Burma. It is a very rare plant, protected by law and cannot be exported. The flower visibly resembles a parrot taking flight. It opens its petals partially and is very sensitive to low temperatures. It has abundant branching and grows compactly to a height of about half a meter.
The Thai name of the plant that blooms in October-November is "Dork Nok Khaev”.
The Bird of Paradise flower ("Strelitzia reginae"): is depicted on the First Day Cover (FDC) of the issue.
Originally from South Africa, it is a perennial, bushy-looking plant that can reach a height of up to 2 meters. The imposing flowers, colored in orange and purple, against the background of the green-gray leaves, give it a special decorative aspect.
It is famous as an ornamental plant, introduced for the first time in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. The epithet "reginae” (of the queen) honours the name of the British Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
The plant, also widespread in California, was chosen as the official flower of the city of Los Angeles. The shape of the flowers resembles the crest and beak of an exotic bird, hence the name bird of paradise.
The Special Philatelic Folder (SPF) was printed in a limited run of 182 pieces and is equipped with the special philatelic block of four imperforated stamps of the issue along with two round perforated labels, with the First Day postmark, clearly imprinted in foiling.
The special philatelic block is numbered from 001 to 182.
Four Full Sheets (FS) of 32 Stamps each with tabs on the left margin.
Four Full Sheets (FS) of 32 Stamps each with tabs on the right margin.
Four Sheetlets of five stamps and a coupon each
Technical details:
Issue Date: 29.03.2022
Designer: George Ursachi
Process: Offset, in 4 colours, paper for stamps, gummed, produced by Tullis Russel (UK origin), purchased by the Stamp Factory; weight: 112 ± 4% g/m2
Colours: 4 Colours
Sizes:
Stamp size: 48.00 mm x 33.00 mm
Mini-Sheet Size: 120.00 mm x 123.00 mm
Special block size: 154.00 mm x 140 mm (in philatelic folder)
Stamp Values: 04.00, 06.50, 10.00, 10.50 Lei
Links to Posts on "European Year of Rail":
17) Institute of Speleology (Study of Caves) "Emil Racovita", Romania: A Century of Research (1920-2020): A set of four stamps issued by Romfilatelia (Romanian Post) featuring representative images of Caves of Romania which are of great importance for Speleological Research & Activity: Date of Stamp set issue: 18.06.2020
Santosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very nice Informative post. Thanks for sharing."
Thank you so much Khanna sahab.
DeleteRajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very informative post."
Thank you, Trikha sahab.
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