Garden Flowers of Liechtenstein

After succeed  three part Definitive series “Butterflies”, Liechtenstein Post issued the 2012 definitive stamps with the theme  "flower garden". In the first, again designed by Stefan Erne issue the peony, dahlia and zinnia are shown.

The  CHF 0.85 stamp present "Dahlia" , Dahlia hortensis , which originally from Central America and Mexico native and from the beginning of the 19th century introduced in Europe. This species  belongs to the daisy family and is another common ornamental plant that blooms from July to October. The approximately 20,000 different varieties of dahlias are divided into 10 groups of species. On a semi-permanent mark Cactus Dahlia (variety "kumquat") is shown.

Popular Flower on Stamps – Peony

On March 26, 2010, Latvia Post  pleased to issue one stamp depicts Peony flower as part of their programs featuring the popular flower on stamps.  Peonies are  native to Asia, Southern Europe and Western North America. Each flower type becomes more complex in its arrangement of petals.

Peonies are also extensively grown as ornamental plants for their very large, often scented flowers. Peonies tend to attract ants to the flower buds. This is due to the nectar that forms on the outside of the flower buds, and is not required for the plants' own pollination or other growth.

Peony Flower of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Post issued the stamps depicted the Peony flower which presented in one souvenir sheet and sheetlet of 4 single stamps on April 10, 2010. The designed made by Kh. Mirzoyev.

The peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America. Boundaries between species are not clear and estimates of the number of species range from 25 to 40.

Most are herbaceous perennial plants 0.5–1.5 metres tall, but some resemble trees up to 1.5–3 metres tall. They have compound, deeply lobed leaves, and large, often fragrant flowers, ranging from red to white or yellow, in late spring and early summer.

Peonies can be classified by both plant growth habit and by flower type. Plant types are Herbaceous (Bush), Tree and Intersectional (Itoh), while flower types are Single, Japanese,Anemone, Semi-Double , Double and Bomb-Double Each category becoming more complex in the arrangement of petals. Herbaceous peonies die back in winter, regrown in spring, while tree peonies lose their leaves in winter, but leave woody stems.

Blogger Tags: Peony, flower, flora, Azerbaijan

Peony Flower of Croatia. 2010

On 8th of March 2010, The Postal Administration of Croatia issued the beauty stamps, Peony flower series. The family of peony (Paeoniaceae) is composed of only one genus of about thirty herbaceous and about ten woody tree peonies spread mostly in hilly and mountainous areas in temperate zones of the north hemisphere. Several hundreds of cultivars (sorts) of different peony species are known which are in horticulture divided according to their flower shape and their size . The chosen species are Wild Peony (Paeonia mascula) and Common Peony (Paenonia Officinalis) which are found in Croatia.

For thousands of years the symbolics of peony has been present in mythologies and legends of many peoples of Europe, Asia and North America: the peony is especially respected and admired in China and Mongolia. Croatian Flora includes three species and several subspecies of peony - all of them strictly protected by the law.

Wild Peony (Paeonia mascula.) is a Tertiary relic (the remainder of pristine Flora before Ice Age) a very rare plant also in Croatia, protected by the law even since 1958. It is a perennial plant, 80 cm high, with tuberous, thickened roots. Numerous, not branchy stalks are upright and bare, overgrown by leaves to the top, on which only one flower develops. The leaves are threefold, composed of integral, shiny, green leaflets. The flowers, up to 10 cm in diameter, have many yellow stamens surrounded by five petals, in colours from pink to purple. The number of petals can sometimes spontaneously increase and all the cultivars have “full” flowers with numerous petals. The Wild Peony blossoms in April and May in sunny habitats of bright and warm woods and shrubberies, at higher altitudes. As curative plant the wild peony is in some areas used in veterinary and human medical care and is a very popular decorative plant.

Common Peony (Paeonia officinalis L.),is rare in Croatia . This species has fragile structure and grows up to 60 cm, has leaves composed of leaflets split in three parts and dark red flowers with five petals. Common Peony grows in bright woods and on grassland, usually on limestones from France to Albania. In spite of its toxicity the common peony has been used in folk medicine for more than 2000 years as an effective remedy against convulsions, and today is mostly used in homeophatic remedies.Now it has been grown for centuries primarily for its curative properties but also for its beauty.