Anastasie Fatu Botanical Garden of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Of Iasi, 170 Years

In the context of this year’s anniversary of the Botanical Garden of Iași, the first institution of its kind in Romania, Romfilatelia and the Romanian Post introduce into circulation on Monday, August 10, 2026, the postage stamp issue ‘ANASTASIE FĂTU’ BOTANICAL GARDEN OF THE ‘ALEXANDRU IOAN CUZA’ UNIVERSITY OF IAŞI, 170 YEARS.

Created for the first time, the philatelic issue, consisting of four postage stamps, a perforated souvenir sheet and a First Day Cover, presents, in a beautiful chromatic palette, representative plants found in the heritage of this emblematic institution for the Iași metropolis.

The Botanical Garden of the ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ University of Iași, established on August 10th, 1856, has borne the name of its founder, the physician Anastasie Fătu, since October 1996. It is Romania’s first university botanical garden and, at the same time, the largest in the country, distinguished by its extensive collection of plant species and by the special conservation measures implemented to protect them.

The slogan, ‘Science and culture for nature’, defines the mission of the ‘Anastasie Fătu’ Botanical Garden in Iași, which is regarded as a unique institution in the region, distinguished by the value and recognition of its achievements, both nationally and internationally.

The unique character of the Botanical Garden in Iași stems from the outstanding heritage value of its scientific collections and from the section designed for visitors with visual impairments, where plant species rich in essential oils are accompanied by explanatory information in Braille.

On the stamp with the face value of Lei 3.50 is depicted the species Rosa ‘Double Delight’ belongs to the Hybrid Tea group of roses, which belongs to the Rosaceae family.

It possesses outstanding ornamental qualities thanks to its large, strongly scented flowers, which bloom continuously throughout the flowering season.

It is one of the best-known, most award-winning and widely cultivated rose hybrids in the world, and can be found in the collection of the Rosarium section of the Botanical Garden in Iași.

On the stamp with the face value of Lei 6 is depicted the plant Anemone hupehensis, commonly known as the Japanese anemone, is a species in the Ranunculaceae family, native to central and south-western China but has been cultivated in Japan for a very long time.

It bears large, simple, cup-shaped flowers (5–7 cm in diameter), ranging in colour from white-pink to pale pink-purple.

In the Botanical Garden of Iași, this species has been acclimatised in the Biological and Phytogeographical sections.

On the stamp with the face value of Lei 11 is illustrated Passiflora quadrangularis, a species of passion flower in the Passifloraceae family, which grows naturally in various regions of Central America, Colombia, and Brazil, where it can be found at altitudes of up to 2,500 metres.

It is a vigorous climber with stems that can exceed 10 metres in length, which thrives in humid tropical environments. It bears extravagantly beautiful flowers, distinguished by a corolla measuring up to 12 cm in diameter. It possesses medicinal properties. It is propagated vegetatively (by cuttings) or from seed, and is grown in the Greenhouse Complex of the Botanical Garden in Iași.

On the stamp with the face value of Lei 16 is illustrated Paeonia tenuifolia, commonly known as the steppe peony, is a continental, post-glacial relict species of the Paeoniaceae family, with a range extending from south-eastern Europe to Kazakhstan. In Romania, it can be found in dry, steppe-like grasslands on sunny, stony slopes in Dobrogea, southern Moldova, south-western Banat and in the Zau de Câmpie Nature Reserve (Mureș County).

At the Botanical Garden in Iași, this species has been successfully acclimatized at the Romanian Flora and Vegetation, Ornamental, Phytogeographical, Biological, Systematic, and Dendrarium sections.

It is a perennial species that can reach 50 cm in height, with lobed leaves and deep red flowers, 6–8 cm in diameter.

The species is very rare, occurring at the western limit of its global range. It is classified as critically endangered owing to its small populations and the impact of human activities. It possesses medicinal properties and is of exceptional ornamental value.

On the perforated souvenir sheet of the issue, within the stamp with the face value of Lei 32 lei is depicted the portrait of the founder Anastasie Fătu, and on the illustrated borders, alongside a landscape detail, two species are depicted: Fritillaria montana and Campanula carpatica. Fritillaria montana is a species of fritillary belonging to the Liliaceae family, growing in open woodlands, scrubland, and on rocky slopes.

It is a striking perennial plant with bell-shaped flowers at maturity. The flowers vary in colour from dark purplish-brown to yellow and display a distinctive chequered pattern.

It is a rare species in Romania’s flora, vulnerable due to habitat loss, and has been acclimatised at the Botanical Garden within the Romanian Flora and Vegetation and Systematic sections.

Camapanula carpatica is a rare species of bellflower belonging to the Campanulaceae family and is endemic to the Carpathian Mountains.

The species is depicted on the logo of the Botanical Garden of Iași, registered at the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM) with intellectual property rights of the ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ University of Iași.

It occurs from the montane belt to the subalpine zone, on calcareous substrate. It grows on rocky outcrops, scree slopes, and skeletal soils.

The plant bears solitary or clustered flowers, with a large, broadly bell-shaped corolla, in shades of deep purple, blue to, occasionally, white.

It is an ornamental species due to its flowers, growth habit and ecological requirements, which make it suitable for cultivation in calcareous rock gardens, and it has been acclimatised at the Botanical Garden in Iași within the Romanian Flora and Vegetation and Biological sections.