On March 1, Canada Post will issue stamps and a souvenir sheet for the Calla flower. The souvenir sheet comes in two versions: One is a limited edition with an overprint promoting CAPEX 2022, the international stamp show in Toronto June 9-12.
The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are souvenir sheet 3319, pink coil 3320, pink bklt 3323, white coil 3321, white booklet 3322.
From Details magazine (philatelic catalogue):
Most of us refer to the graceful trumpet-shaped flowers that often adorn weddings and other occasions as calla lilies. But it seems we’ve been wrong all along! The calla (Zantedeschia) – native to the southern parts of Africa – isn’t a lily at all. It’s a member of the unusual arum family (Araceae), which includes peace lily, skunk cabbage and jack- in-the-pulpit. The cut flower’s beauty and longevity may account for its ubiquity in floral arrangements but, like many plants now cherished for their aesthetic value, the calla has traditionally been used for medicinal purposes.
In the Victorian language of flowers, the calla has much to say, each message determined by its colour. White, for example, signifies purity and innocence, while pink conveys admiration and appreciation, and near-black evokes elegance and mystery.
Designed by Paprika, with illustrations by Fanny Roy, the stamp issue depicts the calla in the popular colours of white and pink. Given that the annual flower stamp is popular for mailing wedding invitations and that the calla is one of the top choices for nuptial flowers, we think we’re looking at a perfect match.
The stamps will be issued in both the booklet and coil formats, and the latter will note on the backing paper that 2022 is the Year of the Garden. Collectors need not purchase the entire coil of 50 stamps: Strips of 4 and 10 will be sold.