Set of 4: 20c Flowers

Front:
FL MIAMI, 1984 20c 33152 Pacific calypso Calypso bulbosa Krishin Rosenberg MIAMI, FL 1984 20c 33152 Wild pink Arethusa bulbosa Krishin Rosenberg MIAMI, 1984 200 33152 Yellow ladys-slipper Cypripedium calceolus Kristig Rosenberg FL MIAMI, 1984 20c 33152 Spreading pogonia Cleistes divaricata Kristin Rosenberg

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The noted horticulturist, O. O. Nylander, delightfully described one of the first times he came in contact with the Pacific Calypso Orchid ... also known as the Fairy Slipper. In his words ... “An inviting coolness seeped from the forest as I strolled between the rough corrugated trunks, and an undisturbed quietude lay over the green plateau ... Beneath low hanging bows of conifers could be seen the bearded lips of the Fairy Slipper – the delicate nymphal orchid which hides in wet bogs in our eastern states and trails in deep moss of woodland in the Rocky Mountains. The solitary pastel pink-purple flow- ers, touched here and there with white and yellow, diffidently nodded on the tips of short slender stems. Myriads of these dainty little plants grew in a mossy cushion in the dense shadow of low horizontal spruce branches. As if to secrete their beauty for some sylvan sprite, they had hidden themselves in solitude, for no other herb kept them company ..." The Pacific Calypso is indeed a remarkably beautiful flower. In fact, to celeb- rate this orchid's loveliness, the United States issued the No. 84-14 ©1984 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Kristin Rosenberg. As the devastating Ice Age slowly crept over the world's continents, a lovely flowering plant ... known today as the Wild Pink Orchid . . . survived just beyond reach of the icy cold. Blooming in the warm Carolina Hills, this orchid awaited the end of the Ice Age and then quickly expanded throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. Today, the Wild Pink can be found thriving in the nurtured protection of sphagnum bogs, wet turfy meadows, open swamps, and along the fertile flats of rivers. The lovely orchid has been found as far south as Louisiana and as far north as Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Interestingly, the orchid received its scientific name – Arethusa — from a mythical river nymph of classical literature. Regardless of its origins, this lovely orchid stands today as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful flowers in existence ... setting high on an elegant, narrow stock, with its beautifully colored flower held erect by the rigid scape. To celebrate the dazzling beauty of the Wild Pink Orchid, the United States Postal Service issued the stamp that is featured on the front of this Maximum Card. -- No. 84-15 ©1984 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Kristin Rosenberg. The scientific name for the Lady's Slipper Orchid — Cypripedium Calceolus — well describes the appearance of the plant itself. The name, Calceolus, is a Latin noun meaning "a little shoe," making reference to the orchid's unusual “shoe-like" shape. Indeed, delicately set atop a short, leafy stock, the flower of this orchid has the very appearance of a tiny, velvet-soft slipper. However, the Lady's Slipper has been known by many other names as well ... including such titles as Noah's Ark ... Whip- poorwill-shoe . . . Monkey Flower . ... and Nerve Root. Yet, this radiant orchid is remarkable in more ways than by its shape alone. It is also one of the very few orchids that can be found in North America, Europe and Asia. In addition, the Lady's Slipper can be observed growing along warm swampy marshes and bogs near the ocean ... or as high as 12,000 feet in the thin, chilly air of the Himalaya Mountains. The Lady's Slipper orchid is indeed a remarkable plant. In fact, the United States Postal Service issued the colorful postage stamp that is affixed to the front of this Maximum Card to honor this lovely orchid. No. 84-16 ©1984 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Kristin Rosenberg. Atop long, slender stems ... accented with delicate green leaves, sprouting skyward . . . are the softly col- ored petals of the Spreading Pogonia Orchid. The deli- cate coloration of its flower makes this plant one of the most attractive orchids of North America. Usually light pink in color, this lovely orchid has also been known by such names as the Rosebud Orchid ... Funnel- crest ... and Ladies' Ettercap. Unlike many orchids, the Spreading Pogonia is very versatile and can easily survive in many different types of habitats. Most often found in low, moist, grassy pine barrens, this remarkable orchid can also be found growing on exposed mountain slopes. Interestingly, the Spreading Pogonia seems to thrive in soil that is intensely acidic ... a condition that would quickly wither most other orchids. Geographically, this orchid can be found growing from near sea level on the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Gulf Coast ... all the way up to four thousand feet altitude in the lush mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. To honor the beauty of this American orchid, the United States issued the No. 84-17 ©1984 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Kristin Rosenberg,