10p Lotus - Nelumbo
10p Amazon Lily - Victoria amazonica
10p Water Lily - Nymphaeo
10p Water Hyacinth - Eichhornia crassipes
Miniature Sheets of 8
(13,000)
Souvenir Sheets of One
(5,0000
40p Marsh Marigold Palustris
Layout Artist: Jose Antonio A. Jayme
First Day Covers: Manila
Phlpost Official FDC Envelopes
Privately Issued
AQUATIC FLOWERS
Lotus – Nelumbo.
Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy
flowers resembling the water lily, but not closely related to it. It
is commonly called lotus, though this name may be applied to other
genera, and there is an unrelated genus Lotus.
The sacred lotus is native to
Asia. It is commonly
cultivated, and also used in Chinese medicine and cooking.
Lotus symbolizes purity,
beauty, majesty, grace, fertility, wealth, richness, knowledge and
serenity.
Amazon Lily – Victoria amazonica (Giant
Waterlily).
This species has very large leaves, up to 3 m in diameter, that
float on the water's surface on a submerged stalk, 7–8 m in length.
The species was once called Victoria regia after Queen Victoria, but
the name was superseded. V. amazonica is native to the shallow
waters of the Amazon River basin, such as oxbow lakes and bayous.
The flowers are white the
first night they are open and become pink the second night. They are
up to 40 cm in diameter, and are pollinated by beetles.
The species is highly prized as an ornamental, despite
having somewhat particular requirements for successful cultivation.
Water Lily – Nymphaeo.
Also known as Water lily, Pond-lily, White pond-lily,
Sweet-scented water lily, Water nymph, Water cabbage.
It is one of the most beautiful of flowers, and commands a
ready sale among flower-lovers. The root is the medicinal part, and
becomes light, spongy, and friable on drying. It has an astringent
and mucilaginous, bitter taste, and readily imparts its virtues to
water. The root should be collected, freed from dirt, cut into
slices and carefully dried. Nymphaea is said to contain tannic and
gallic acids, with starch, mucilage, resin, sugar, tartaric acid,
etc. It probably contains several non-toxic alkaloids.
Water Hyacinth - Eichhornia crassipes.
An aquatic plant native to the Amazon basin, and is often
considered a highly problematic invasive species outside its native
range. Water hyacinth is
a free-floating perennial aquatic plant (or hydrophyte) native to
tropical and sub-tropical South America. With broad, thick, glossy,
ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water
as much as 1 meter in height. The leaves are 10–20 cm across, and
float above the water surface. They have long, spongy and bulbous
stalks. The feathery, freely hanging roots are purple-black. An
erect stalk supports a single spike of 8-15 conspicuously attractive
flowers, mostly lavender to pink in color with six petals.
One of the fastest growing
plants known, water hyacinth reproduces primarily by way of runners
or stolons, which eventually form daughter plants. Each plant can
produce thousands of seeds each year, and these seeds can remain
viable for more than 28 years.
Marsh Marigold palustris.
Marsh marigold, also known as kingcup, is believed to be one
of Britain’s most ancient native plants. It may have been growing
since before the last Ice Age and, after the retreat of the icecaps,
it proliferated across the watery landscape. It is a
spectacular-looking plant, with large rich yellow flowers, each with
five petals, and shiny green, heart-shaped leaves borne on long,
smooth hollow stems. A
perennial, marsh marigold is in flower from March to August, and is
one of the first plants to appear. It has been long regarded as a
herald of spring and in the Isle of Man it was the centre of a
custom known as ‘bringing in the mayflower’. The flowers were
scattered over doorsteps on the eve of May Day.