With a surface of 47,000 ha, Rodna Mountains National Park includes the highest peaks of the Eastern Carpathians (Pietrosu Mare Peak, 2303 m) and one of the oldest natural reservations in our country (Pietrosu Mare, 1932), known as a Biosphere Reservation. The importance of this National Park is due both to the geology of the massif and to the diversity of the flora and fauna species, some of them very rare and others found only on this massif. Moreover, in 1979, the UNESCO MaB Committee (Man and the Biosphere) in Paris decided to award this area with the status of Biosphere Reservation.
In order to support the efforts made for the protection of the environment – fauna and flora included – which is part of our national wealth and should be preserved for the future generations, Romfilatelia releases the postage stamps issue “Flora from protected areas – The Rodna Mountains”.
The stamp collectors will discover the following flowers, illustrated in this philatelic issue: Pigeon’s Gizzard, Martagon Lily, Large Pink, Alpine Aster, Bell-flowers and Edelweiss.
Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum), a real wonder of the nature, stated as nature’s monument and protected by law, is illustrated
on the stamp with the face value of Lei 0.30. It is a perennial plant, has a line stem without branches, 5-20 cm high in Romania, but in other countries it can be higher, up to 50-80 cm. The edelweiss grows in alpine areas, but sometimes we can meet it in subalpine zones. It has woolly leaves on top, some bigger, some smaller, forming a star shaped flower. The plant is covered with soft white-silver hairs, which give it grace and beauty. It blooms in July and August.
Alpine Aster (Aster alpinus) – illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 0.60. The Alpine aster is a low plant, met in subalpine and alpine areas. It grows in rocky soil, in sunny places and it is 10-15 cm high. Its flowers have a diameter of 5 cm. They are colored in pink with a yellow center. It blooms in May and June.
Large Pink (Dianthus superbus) – illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 1.00. The Large pinks often form shrubs, have thin stems, up to 30 cm high, with clusters of flowers on top, flowers which have a diameter of 1. 5-2.5 cm. The leaves are slender, laid in pairs; those on the base of the stem are many and thin. The large pink bloom in June and July and we can find it in grassy rocky places, sometimes even on desert rocks.
Pigeon’s Gizzard (Silene nivalis) – illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 1.20. It is the most well-known flower of the endemic species which represents the emblem of Rodna Mountains National Park; this is the only area where it grows.
Bell-flowers (Campanula persicifolia) – illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 2.40. They are a perennial species, 30-70 cm high. The plant flowers in June and July and we can see on the outskirts of forests, but also on mountain paths, to which it gives a vivid look.
Martagon Lily or Turk’s cap Lily (Lilium martagon) – illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 3.10. The lily is one of the oldest flowers planted by humans, dating from at least five thousand years ago, even older than the rose. Native to Europe, it reaches 100 cm high and has pink-purple flowers. Its petals a re much wriggled to the outside, showing a special beauty.
