Stamps with Parasitic Plants
It seems that parasitic plants have, upon several ocassions, been
chosen as subjects for postage stamps. Several of the stamps shown
below were all found on the Herbier
Philatélique (Philatelic Herbarium) web site maintained by
Pierre Guertin. Visit that site to see stamps with images of many
diverse plants!
If you are aware of other parasitic plants on stamps, please
forward the information to me (nickrent at plant.siu.edu).
Balanophoraceae
Convolvulaceae
- Cuscuta
epithymum on Ulex europaeus
with
the Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata. England.
Cynomoriaceae
Hydnoraceae
Lauraceae
Loranthaceae
Olacaceae
Opiliaceae
Orobanchaceae
- Alectra
sessiliflora. Transkei of South Africa. From Namibstamps.com.
- Castilleja
linariifolia.
Wyoming (its state flower) with the Western Meadowlark There seems to
be some controvery about adopting a parasitic plant for the state
flower of Wyoming! In 1917 Dr. Aven Nelson objected to the paintbrush
in the Wyoming School Journal. His problems? There are too many kinds
of paintbrush and only an expert can tell them apart. Also, who would
want to plant a parasitic plant in a garden?!
- Castilleja
sp. Indian Paintbrush. USA.
- Castilleja
sp. With Rufous Hummingbird. USA.
- Cistanche
phelypaea.
Bahrain.
- Cistanche
phelypaea. Saudi Arabia, 1990.
- Cistanche
sp. "French West Africa," a former French administrative unit
comprising the African colonies of Senegal, French Guinea, Ivory
Coast,
Dahomey, French Sudan, Mauritania, Niger and Upper Volta. Stamps
issued
1943-1959.
- Harveya
pulchra. Transkei of South Africa. From Namibstamps.com.
- Harveya speciosa. Transkei of South Africa.
From Namibstamps.com.
- Orobanche
rapum
genistae on Cytisus scoparius ssp maritimus
with Bombus lucorum. England.
- Ramphicarpa
montana. Uncanceled
and canceled
stamp.
- Striga
asiatica. Saudi Arabia, 1990.
- Striga
elegans. Lesotho, 1985.
- Striga
hermonthica (as S. senegalensis). Burkina
Faso
(as Republique de Haute-Volta)
Rafflesiaceae
Santalaceae
Viscaceae
- Phoradendron
leucarpum (as P. flavescens).
Oklahoma, USA with a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - the state flower and
state bird, respectively. Although mistletoe is the state flower, this
was not without controversy! As if mistletoe is not a flower, they
adopted the Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) as the state
wildflower in 1986.
- Phoradendron
leucarpum. USA.
- Viscum
album. Baliwick of Guernsey, 1978. England.
- Viscum
album. Yugoslavia.
- Viscum
album. Switzerland, 1974.
- Viscum
album. Switzerland, 1997.
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