Romfilatelia introduces into circulation a postage stamps issue promoting optimism and a theme much loved by collectors: FLORA. Under the generic title ‘The Flowers of the Orchards’, the issue, consisting of four postage stamps and a First Day Cover, will enter into circulation on Tuesday, May 13th, this year.
An orchard with blossoming trees represents for everyone a world of beauty and the incomparable fragrance of flowers. It is the place that awakens the desire to have a small orchard near the house, where the land allows it.
The peerless prose writer Ion Creangă is the author of a wonderful poem entitled ‘Livada’ (The Orchard), whose verses were intended to teach children to count to ten: „Un copil sădește-n zori / Doi meri mici cât doi bujori, / Trei caiși cu rădăcini, / Patru trandafiri cu spini, / Cinci gutui cu flori rotate, / Șase nuci cum sunt prin sate, / Șapte peri, opt piersici cruzi, / Nouă mici și tineri duzi, / Cât numeri până la zece / Îi udăm cu apă rece, / Mari să crească, să se vadă / Cea mai tânără livadă!” (in English: ‘One child plants at dawn / Two small apple trees as tall as two peonies, / Three apricot trees with roots, / Four roses with thorns, / Five quinces with rotating flowers, / Six walnut trees like those in the villages, / Seven pear trees, eight unripe peaches, / Nine small and young mulberry trees, / As you count to ten / We water them with cold water, / May they grow tall, may they be seen / The youngest orchard!’).
The images on the postage stamps depict the flowers of the following fruit trees: The apple tree (Malus domestica), with flowers depicted on the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 5.50, is a fruit tree with over 40 known varieties. The fruit is associated with the symbol of longevity. The world’s largest producer is China. Apple blossoms are rose-white in colour. The trees are 2-7 meters tall (the most common), but there are also species that grow to about 10 meters. The average lifespan is 35-40 years.
The pear tree (Pyrus communis), with a floral detail illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 7, is a fruit tree with a height of between 10 and 20 metres and an average lifespan of 65 years. The flowers are white or pink. It grows in regions with a temperate and humid climate and is highly resistant to cold. Austria has the highest reported fruit production per hectare.
The quince (Cydonia oblonga), with a flower on a postage stamp with the face value of Lei 8, is a fruit tree related to the apple and pear. The medium-sized tree is native to the Caucasus region and grows to an average height of 4-5 meters. It blooms late, in the months of April and May. The large, solitary flowers are white or pink in colour, with five petals. The name Cydonia comes from a region of the island of Crete.
The cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) whose flower is depicted on a postage stamp with the face value of Lei 14 is one of the first trees to bloom in spring. It reaches a height of between 8 and 12 meters. The white or pink flowers, with five petals, appear before the leaves. It originates from eastern Europe, southwestern and central Asia.
The First Day Cover features a mixed bouquet of flowers with a bee attracted by their scent and pollen, suggesting the crucial link between pollination and the existence of fruits.
Romfilatelia wishes to thank Prof. Paulina Anastasiu, PhD, Manager of the ‘Dimitrie Brandza’ Botanical Garden of the University of Bucharest, for her documentary support granted to the development of this issue of postage stamps.
