Flowers of Namaqualand Stamp issue date: 22 August 2008 Namaqualand extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the small town of Pofadder in the east, north from the great Orange River and south beyond Garies. Every year, shortly after the winter rains, millions of flowers start to bloom along the arid West Coast all the way up to the Designed by Denis Murphy, the stamps have unusual shapes, since they are cut in the shapes of flowers. The stamps also have a wild flower scent contained in microscopic cells that are printed on the stamps using silkscreen. The scent will therefore last for many years - rubbing the stamp activates the cells again. Flowers featured on the stamps are: Common bokbaaivygie/Bokbaaivygie (Dorotheanthus bellidiformis) These red, yellow, salmon or white, flowers grow on slender stalks and bear fruit in five segments. They grow in sandy flats in Namaqualand and the south Western Cape and flower from August to September. Bokkeveld pride/Bokkeveldtrots (Geissorhiza splendissima) These flowers are glossy blue-violet with small greenish centres surrounded by prominent black marks and reddish brown anthers. They flower in August to September and grow in stony clay soils in the Renosterveld Shrubland around Nieuwoudtville. Springbok painted petals/Cabong (Nama) (Lapeirousia silenoides) They have narrow leaves, cream-coloured markings in the centre and are conspicuously ribbed along their lengths with the lowermost leaves being the longest and arched. They grow seasonally in moist gravel granite-derived soils in Namaqualand and flower from July to August. White-eyed duiker-root/Duikerwortel (Grielum humifusum) These yellow flowers have a 20-30 mm pale eye. They grow on sandy lower slopes and flats through the drier western parts of southern Africa and mainly flower from July to October. Namaqualand daisy/Jakkalsblom (Dimorphotheca sinuata) The separate flower heads are on elongated stalks, black with pale or deep orange ray florets. They grow on sandy and gravel slopes in Namaqualand and flower from August to October. Satin boneseed/Jakkalsbos (Osteospermum pinnatum or Dimorphotheca pinnata, the new name for this plant) These flowers have an orange colour with glistening cream to orange ray florets that are dark at the base and are surrounded by one series of narrow bracts. They grow on dry gravelly sandy slopes and flats in Namaqualand and flower from July to September. Karoo gazania/Karoogazania (Gazania rigida) The flower heads are on separate leafless stalks, with yellow or orange ray florets usually banded with dark marks at the base. They grow on stony flats and lower slopes in Namaqualand and the South Western Cape and flower from July to November. Harlequin hesperantha/Perdeblom (Hesperantha vaginata) These flowers are large, cup-shaped, yellow and often marked with dark brown colour that opens in the early afternoon. They grow in heavy clay soils around Nieuwoudtville and flower from August to September. Showy sunflax/Sporrie (Heliophila coronopifolia) These flowers are blue with a white or greenish centre. They grow on gravel and sandy flats on the lower slopes in Namaqualand and the South Western Cape and flower in August to October. Red-eye sorrel/Suring (Oxalis callosa) The flowers are pink with a 20 mm across yellow tube ringed with purple at the mouth and stand on separate slender hairy stalks. They grow on clay flats between Nieuwoudtville and Calvinia and flower from August to October. Envelope no. 7.134 features a spring scene with Bittergousblomme (Arctotis fastuosa) and envelope no. 7.135 features a Quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma.) The hollow branches of this tree was used by the San people to make quivers to hold their arrows. Information provided by: Dr John Manning, Senior Specialist Scientist,
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