The postage stamp issue named Flowers alphabet represents an original approach which brings together the traditional philatelic topic of flora and the graphic concept of a head letter or initial, an uppercase letter, usually ornate, used at the beginning of chapters in bibliophile editions. Head letters can be classified into two categories: those which are combined with a floral or animalistic element, strictly ornamental, without reference to the subject-matter of the paragraph they are a part of, and initials whose images illustrate a character or a scene from the paragraph they precede.
Each stamp of this issue depicts one such head letter intertwined with a flower. The flower’s name starts with the letter portrayed on the initial, the entire issue forming the word “TIMBRE” (the Romanian word for “stamps”).
The stamp with the face value of 3.00 Lei illustrates the letter T of “Trandafir” (the Romanian word for rose - lat. Rosa). Approximately 190 species and thousands of cultivated varieties are known in the wild flora. The long cultural history of the rose has led to its use as a universal symbol of love and beauty.
The stamp with the face value of 3.10 Lei illustrates the letter I of Iris (lat. Iris sibirica), a perennial plant, in the form of small shrubs, 60-80 cm in height. With flowers of different colours and shades, the Greeks named these flowers after the word rainbow.
The stamp with the face value of 3.30 Lei illustrates the letter M for “Mac” (the Romanian word for the poppy plant - lat. Papaver rhoreas), an annual herbaceous plant whose straight stems, strongly ramified, span between 20 to 90 cm in height.
The stamp with the face value of 4.30 Lei illustrates the letter B of Begonia (lat. Begonia x tuberhybrida). Begonias are native to tropical and subtropical areas with humid climates.
The stamp with the face value of 4.70 Lei illustrates the letter R of Regina noptii (the Romanian word for Flowering tobacco - lat. Nicotiana alata), a herbaceous, perennial plant, but due to its low resistance it is cultivated annually.
The stamp with the face value of 14.50 Lei illustrates the letter E of Echinacea (lat. Echinacea purpurea), known as the evening sun. Echinacea belongs to the Asteraceae family and is native to North America.
