Many cultivated plants in Romania bloom in spring and summer, but some species produce flowers in the cold season. Some of them are native plants, and others are exotic species, cultivated precisely for the decorative flowers that appear during the winter. Romfilatelia released a postage stamps issue that combines a theme much loved by collectors – flowers – with the topicality of the season: Winter Flowers.
The first stamp shows Christmas Eve flower that is also known as the Christmas star or poinsettia. The flower traces its origin to Central America – Mexico and Guatemala. Its distinctive feature is the coloured leaves that surround the inflorescence; they are not petals, as it is often believed, but modified leaves, called bracts. In wild plants, these bracts are red; varieties with pink, cream, etc. The second item features the winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis). It is a small forest plant, indigenous to Europe. It blooms in late winter or very early spring, even when the ground is still covered in snow.
The third stamp shows the amaryllis (Hippeastrum sp.). Plants in the Hippeastrum genus are indigenous to South and Central America. Various species of Hippeastrum are grown in Europe as houseplants. The flowers are large, spectacular, white, red, pink, orange, sometimes in colour combinations, with dots or stripes. And the fourth item depicts Hellebore (Helleborus niger). It is an evergreen plant, indigenous to the mountainous areas of Europe. It has white or pink flowers. It has been known since antiquity as a medicinal plant, although it is very toxic.
See also other beautiful flower stamps.
