Lotus (Canada 2018)

The Scott catalogue numbers are Sc. 3087 for the souvenir sheet; 3087a, 3088 and 3090 for pink petals; and 3087b, 3089 and 3091 for yellow petals. 3088 and 3089 are the coil stamps, 3090 and 3091 are the booklet stamps.

from Details magazine:

LOTUS
Issue date: March 1, 2018

Dregs of winter laying your spirits low? Would the thought of colourful lotuses gently bobbing on warm breezes over the water’s surface help? Our annual flower stamp issue depicts two lotus species: the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and the American lotus (Nelumbo lutea).

The pink and white sacred lotus is the national flower of India, and ha s religious significance for Buddhists and Hindus. It is cultivated in North America and can become wild. Our only indigenous lotus, the rare and threatened yellow American lotus grows along the warm sunny shores of lakes Erie and St. Clair in southern Ontario. Stamp designers Gary Beelik and Kristine Do of Parcel used watercolour portraits by Eunike Nugroho to depict different bloom phases in a set of connected (se-tenant) stamps. The blue background evokes a watery habitat, while a spot gloss varnish reveals a Chinese Bulbul bird, a koi fish and a dragonfly – creatures that share surroundings with lotuses.

[press release]
Canada Post heralds spring with Lotus issue
Annual flower issue a perennial favourite with gardeners and soon-to-be-weds

OTTAWA, March 1, 2018 /CNW/ – Canada Post will once again bring some colour and freshness into the lives (and mail) of winter-weary Canadians with its annual flower stamp issue. This year, the focus is on aquatic blooms, with the domestic-rate PermanentTM stamps featuring two varieties of lotus:

  • The only lotus indigenous to this continent, the American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) has a creamy yellow flower and needs warmth and sunshine. The rare and threatened species grows at its northern limit along the shores of lakes Erie and St. Clair in southern Ontario. It is also found in wetlands in most of the eastern United States and as far south as Honduras.
  • The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), bearing delicate pink and white petals, is the national flower of India and has deep religious significance for Buddhists and Hindus. Native to the tropical and warm-temperate regions of Asia and Australia, the sacred lotus is cultivated in North America and can become wild.

Because this issue is so popular for wedding invitations and stationery, the stamps are available in booklets of 10, with five of each design, or coils of 50 offering 25 of each design. A two-stamp souvenir sheet is available for collectors, along with strips of four and 10 stamps from the coil. An Official First Day Cover featuring both stamps is cancelled in Waterdown, Ontario. The stamps were designed by Parcel Design of Toronto based on watercolours by Eunike Nugroho and printed by the Lowe-Martin Group.