Popular Flowers from Phlippine

Date of Issue : 28 August 2019

Philippine Postal Corporation issued a set of two definitive stamps on August 28 featuring popular flowers of Philippines Rafflesia and Everlasting .

The genus Rafflesia includes 28 species of parasitic flowering plants scattered exclusively throughout Southeast Asia. Rafflesia are found in the Philippines, in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. These plants emit an odor akin to rotting flesh to attract its prey. These prey include insects such as flies, which aid in pollination.

In the Philippines, samples of the genus can be found mostly in certain areas of Luzon, select areas of Panay, Cotabato, and Davao. Rafflesia consueloae, the newest discovered Rafflesia species in the Philippines, is the smallest rafflesia to date. R. leonardi meanwhile is named after a notable botanist and author, the late Leonardo L. Co. Other representatives of the species endemic to the Philippines are R. manillana, R. philippinensis, R. speciosa, R. lobata, R. schadenbergiana, R. verrucosa, R. mira also known as R. magnifica.

Everlasting flower, also known as "strawflower" (Helichrysum bracteatum or Xerochrysum bracteatum) is a species of plant appreciated for the brightly-colored flowers it produces. These are used as decor; everlasting flowers can be utilized fresh or dried. H. bracteatum come in yellow, orange, pink, brown, violet, red, and white. In the Philippines, these flowers contribute to the local economy of Baguio and Tagaytay, places of high altitude and cold weather.