Wildflower of Ireland

Ireland Post issued the sixth definitive stamp series of Wildflowers of Ireland on March 1, 2007. The issue comprises of four postage stamps with denomination value 3c, 55c, 78c, and 95c. 

The species of wildflower depicted  are Yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus) on the 3c stamp,  Large-flowered butterwort (Pinguicula grandiflora) on the 55 c stamp, Black bog-rush (Schoenus nigricans) on the 78 c stamp, Lythrum salicaria (Purple loosestrife) on the 95 c stamp.

Yellow flag or Iris pseudacorus is an herbaceous flowering perennial plant, native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa, growing to 1-1.5 m (or a rare 2 m) tall, with erect leaves up to 90 cm long and 3 cm broad. The flowers are bright yellow, 7-10 cm across, with the typical iris form.

The fruit is a dry capsule 4-7 cm long, containing numerous pale brown seeds. Yellow flag is a species in the genus Iris, of the family Iridaceae.

The Large-flowered butterwort, also  known  as Pinguicula grandiflora, is a temperate insectivorous plant in the Lentibulariaceae family.

One distinguishing feature of the species is its flower, which is much larger than the average for the genus.

The black bog- rush or Schoenus nigricans is a species of sedge , native to Eurasia, parts of Africa, Australia, and southern North America, including Mexico and the southernmost United States.

It grows in many types of wetlands and other moist and alkaline habitat, including marshes, springs, seeps, peat bogs, heath, and alkali flats. This perennial plant grows in low, tight clumps 20 to 70 centimeters tall, with threadlike leaves bearing wide, dark brown ligules.

The inflorescence , a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches, is a small, flattened cluster of dark spikelets. The fruit is an achene coated in a hard, white shell .

Lythrum salicaria (Purple loosestrife) is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae, native to Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and southeastern Australia.

Lythrum salicaria is a herbaceous perennial plant, that can grow 1-1.5 m tall, forming clonal colonies 1.5 m or more in width with numerous erect stems growing from a single woody root mass.

The flowers are reddish purple, 10–20 mm diameter, with six petals (occasionally five) and 12 stamens, and are clustered tightly in the axils of bracts or leaves.The flowers are pollinated by long-tongued insects, including bees and butterflies.