Flora

 

Plants play a vital role in our world. They are essencial for oxygen production. Since old times they are used as food and as medicine. They are form of basis agriculture, providing sustenance for human and animal consumption.

Every few years Serbian Post issues stamps titled as Flora. So far, different floral topics were covered, usualy with subtitle for every issue.

Similar/related posts: Flowers and fuits definitives (2019-), European nature protection

2008. Flora - Grapes and Vineyards of Serbia

Serbia has a long tradition of cultivating grapevines and producing wine, and in the last 20 years, there has been a notable revival and advacement in this sector. All postage stamps from this series depict different grape varieties, including grape clusters and vineyards, along with the names of Serbian wine-growing regions where those varietes are represented. On all the stamps can be found inscription Vitis vinifera, which is the latin name for grapevine.

(20) Welschriesling (srb. Graševina, Italian Riesling) and Fruška Gora wine region;

(20) Sauvignon Blanc and Oplenac wine region;

(46) Prokupac and Župa wine region - Prokupac is Serbian indigenous grape variety used to produce wine of the same name. This variety is resistant to low temperatures and has a high level of sugar.

(46) Blaufränkisch (srb. frankovka), Vršac wine region.

2011. Flora - Red fruits

This series is dedicated to red fruits and depicts several plants grown in Serbia. Among them, raspberries stand out, as Serbia is one of the leading global producers of this fruit. All the stamps show illustration of frutis on the plant/branch.

(22) Raspbeery (Rubus idaeus)

(33) Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

(44) Currant (Ribes Rubrum)

(66) Cranberry (Vaccinum macrocarpon)

2013. Flora - Orchids

The 2013 Flora edition depicts various species of orchids, plants popular in horticulture.

(22) Cymbidium Burgundian (Cymbidium Burgundian)

(33) Yellow Masdevallia (Masdevallia Kimballiana)

(46) Lions Moustache Orchid (Angraecum leonis)

(66) Cymbidium Fort George (Cymbidium Fort George)

 

2015. Flora - Indigenous fruit varietes

Stamps from this series show fruit varietes specific for Serbia. All the stamps feature flowers of depicted fruit as well as mature fruits.

(23) Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) - It is one of the most represented fruit varietes and Serbia is among the largest quince producers in Europe.

(35) Budim apples (Malus sylvestris L.) - These apples have been farmed in Serbia for 800 years, althrough they were brought here from the East.

(46) Early bird plum (Prunus domestica L.) - This is auchtothonous type of plum in Serbia. It is used for eating fresh and for producing jam and brandy - slivovitz.

(70) Karaman pears (Pyrus communis L.) - It os old variety of pear, originated from Asia. Today it is not so common as a century ago.

2017.  Flora - Indigenous fruit varietes II

(23) Takiša pear (Pyrus communis L.) - It is an old heirloom variety of this region. It's origin is unknown and it is almost extinct today. There are white and black type of this pear.

(46) Požega plum (Prunus domestica L.) - Domestic plum is popular and represented all around the world. In Serbia it is cultivated for decades and the name požegača came from city of Požega, as the plum was the main product of this city before the First World War.

(50) Šumatovka apple (Malus sylvestris L.) - It is the old autochtonous variety of apple in Serbia.

(70) Wallnut (Juglans regia L.) 

2019. Flora - Fungi

In 2019, under the title Flora were issued stamps depicting mushrooms, which might seems unclear since fungi and plants are destinct biological kingdoms. The stamps showcase some mushrooms that have been discovered through decades of mycological research in Serbia.

Psilocybe serbica (M. M. Moser & E. Horak) - This mushroom was discovered in 1963 on Tara mountain and later it was found in other European countries. It is toxic and hallucinogen.

Tuber petrophilum (Milenković, Grebenac, Ivančević & Marković) - It is a rare species of truflles, discovered in 2004 and found only in Serbia so far.

Coprinopsis picacea (Bull.) Redhead, Vilgalys & Moncalvo - Unusual fungus from the group of Coprinus. It can be found in Serbia, but it is inedible. It is shown on the emblem of the Mycologist Society of Serbia.

Octospora pannosa (T. Richter, M. Vega & D. Savić)  Found in 2018 on Fruška Gora mountain. At the same time it was found in Germany too, so data from Serbia and Germany were joined and the discovery of Octospora pannosa as new species was formally announced.

2022.

Flora series from 2022 doesn't have speific subtitle, but it depicts some flowers that are rare and protected in Serbia.

Greater Pasque flower - Pulsatilla grandis Wender. (Ranunculaceae) - It can be found at Fruška Gora mountain. Today it is strictly protected. In the last 50 years it disappeared from more than half of the sites, due to the overgown habittats and picking of decorative flowers.

Pheasant's eye - Adonis vernalis L (Ranunculaceae) - Strictly protected species with big yellow flowers that grows in north-eastern and eastern Serbia.

Fernleaf peony - Paeonia tenuifolia L. (Paeoniaceae) - Rare plant that can be found in north-eastern and eastern Serbia and it is strictly protected.

Nikolić's Chandelier - Aquilegia nikolicii Niketić & Cikovac (Ranunculaceae) - It was discovered in 2013 in Drina canyon and on Tara mountain. It is rare and endemic species found only in western Serbia and in Montenegro.