I am participating in the April AtoZ Blogging challenge and my theme is Plants featured on Indian Stamps. This is my eight attempt at the AtoZ and the focus is on plants.
My theme is inspired by an online talk by Daniel L Nikrent of Cornell University, USA held by Maharashtra Vriksha Samvardhini about Parasitic Flowering Plants featured on Stamps. I am not a stamp collector nor a fan of stamps. Hence almost all my posts are purely based on research on the internet. I have tried to cross check the info before posting here. Please do share correct info and links to the same in case of discrepancy.
India Post has a very strong network reaching deep deep into the interiors of the country and I depended on it for news from home when we were posted in far away places. In this age of smartphones, Internet, how many of us really write letters - snail mail as they are now called? Despite this , I find that new stamps are being issued and we have stamps on diverse topics including Armed Forces, Films, Personalities, Wildlife, Handlooms, Handicrafts and so on.. It is amazing!
Saussurea obvallata is commonly known as Brahma Kamal and belongs to the Asteraceae family. This prized bloom grows in the higher reaches of the Himalayas and the lucky few can see it in the Valley of Flowers trek. I have yet to visit the Valley of Flowers.
Locally, in Pune, the Epiphyllum oxypetalum is called Brahma Kamal but that belongs to the Cactaceae family. A totally different species. It is beautiful and fragrant but it is not the real Brahma Kamal that is found at high altitudes.
The stamp issued by India Post captures the beauty of this flower. Issued in 1982, it is of denomination 2.85 INR
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| Post of India, GODL-India <https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf>, via Wikimedia Commons |
Sal or Shorea robusta of the Dipterocarpaceae family are handsome tall deciduous trees. Its wood is much sought after in India. Here are images from my collection of the Sal forest and Sal flowering from my visit to Corbett in 2016.
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| Sal forest |
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| Sal in full bloom |
The Sal tree finds itself on a 1987 stamp of denomination 5INR.
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| Post of India, GODL-India <https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf>, via Wikimedia Commons |
The India Postage Stamps website has a complete catalogue of stamps. Please click the link to see many many wonderful stamps.
Colnect is a comprehensive portal for Stamp collectors. It gives detailed information about every listed stamp. Click here for detailed info about Stamps - what is a stamp, types, formats, water marks, perforations and much more.
We meet tomorrow for yet another beautiful plant and its stamp!
Sal trees seem so delightful. May have seen them . NOT sure....
ReplyDeleteBrahma kamalam - does it have good fragrance ? Looks like Mallepoovu *telugu* a variation of jasmine
Hi Afshan. Yes Brahma Kamal issaid to be fragrant. I must look up Mallepoovu. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteBrahma kamla is a beautiful bloom. Saw it once at my friends place. Today I learnt the botanical name of it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Radhika! 😄
DeleteSuch pretty stamps!
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for the A-Z Challenge My Languishing TBR: S
@Ronel Janse van Vuuren Thank you so much! 🙏🏻
DeleteWhat a great theme! Educational too ;-)
ReplyDelete@diedre Definitely educational for me. I hope for readers as well 🙃 Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a beautiful and unique theme! Incidentally, my latest post has a parasite element. Will check about parasitic plants now to see if it can help with my story. See you around.
ReplyDeleteDropping by from momandideas.com - A-Z challenge.
@Mom and Ideas Thanks for stopping by! Going to read your post right away!! :-)
ReplyDeleteSal forests look amazing!
ReplyDelete@Pradeep Yes indeed. And very photogenic as well! Thank you for stopping by!
ReplyDelete