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.
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, Food 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.
Locally, in Pune, the Epiphyllum oxypetalum is called Brahma Kamal but that belongs to the Cactaceae family. This is a totally different species. It is beautiful and fragrant but its not the real Brahma Kamal.
The stamp issued by India Post captures the beauty of this flower. Issued in 1982, it is of denomination 2.85 INR
Sal or Shorea robusta of the Dipterocarpaceae family are handsome tall deciduous trees. Its wood is much sought after in India. Here is an image of the Sal flowering from my visit to Corbett in 2016.
The Sal tree finds itself on a 1987 stamp of denomination 5INR.
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.
You can catch up with my previous posts here. We meet tomorrow for yet another beautiful plant and its stamp!
