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  Aroid stamp
From: abri1973 at wp.pl (Marek Argent) on 2007.09.25 at 20:53:26(16337)
Hello,

The 16th stamp in this sheet is named "taro",
but the leaf doesn't look like Colocasia esculenta, rather like Xanthosoma sp.
What may it be? I know that artist sometimes don't see important features for botanists.

http://photos02.allegro.pl/photos/oryginal/248/70/61/248706105

Besides I read somewhere that in various regions of the world, different species are cultivated as "taro".

Can anyone help?

Marek Argent

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From: kylefletcherbaker at yahoo.com (Kyle Baker) on 2007.09.27 at 10:24:49(16345)
no photo available...says its a binary file,,,good lord do they make those anymore?

kfb maine

Marek Argent wrote: Hello,

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From: denis at skg.com (Denis Rotolante) on 2007.09.28 at 13:55:12(16353)
Anybody can pick out a bunch of pretty flowers or fruits to put on
stamps, but Some of these plants are not even native to Micronesia.This
is obviously not meant to be a botanical drawing but an artist's
rendition of something cute to put on stamps. A stamp collector would
apreciate a little accuracy in the stamps a country produces what else
makes them collectible. Native flowers and fruits on a country's stamps
should be a given, I guess Micronesia doesn't care.

Denis

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From: criswick at spiceisle.com (criswick) on 2007.09.28 at 15:29:17(16355)
Unfortunately some third world countries like my own are only interested in
making money out of stamp companies who make them tempting offers, and all
sorts of inappropriate images are used. We have had Mickey Mouse stamps and
all kind of rubbish. It is silly, because the collectibility of stamps
should increase when authenticity of illustrations and origin of plants are
involved, but I understand that there is a big schoolboy philatelic market.

In the case of these Micronesian stamps the government apparently thought
they should employ a local artist who knows the plants, but who in this case
falls short of international standards in his/her art work.

John Criswick

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From: abri1973 at wp.pl (Marek Argent) on 2007.09.28 at 16:27:15(16356)

Ok, here it is again. it's not 16th but 12th stamp.
----- Original Message -----
From: Kyle Baker
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From: jonathan.ertelt at vanderbilt.edu (Jonathan Ertelt) on 2007.09.28 at 20:16:31(16359)
There is no country of which I am aware that does not have some
strangeness among its collection of stamps issued. I have been
intrigued and entertained in recent years to see so many movie and
movie images issued by countries where my inclination would be to
suspect that the majority of the populas have likely not even seen
the movie, but that may be showing up my own stereotypes over places
I have not been. Never the less, I suspect that the flowers and
fruits shown on this collection of stamps from Micronesia represent
plants grown there and often seen, whether native or not. The
botanical accuracy may be frustrating for some of us that like to
look for botanical accuracy, however the fact that one or more of our
favorite plants or plant families is represented is hopefully a cause
for joy rather than disappointment over details missed. Making money
from stamp companies is not such a bad way for a country to make
money, after all, given some of the other ways more often used.
Okay, I'll step down now. Enjoy the aroids where they can be found.
Have a good weekend.

Jonathan

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From: abri1973 at wp.pl (Marek Argent) on 2007.09.28 at 20:38:55(16360)
MessageAlmost each country has an issue of stamps with cacti or tropical orchids. There's no rule that only the native (or endemic) plants should be on stamps. However aroids are rare on stamps. I think it should be a recognizable group together with cacti, orchids and roses. My country (Poland) has never released any stamp with an aroid, but the neighbours did (Germany - 3 stamps and Czech Rep. also 3 stamps). In our area grow wild: Calla palustris, Arum orientale, Arum maculatum, a few species of Lemna and Spirodela polyrrhiza.

Marek

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From: pjm at gol.com (Peter Matthews) on 2007.09.29 at 13:40:45(16363)
Dear Marek et al,

That stamp is clearly intended to show Colocasia esculenta, judging by
the shape of the corm. But the artist has screwed up on the petiole
insertion point (should not be at margin) and venation.

The leaf looks like a fairly generic, aroid leaf, possibly similar to
Alocasia macrorrhizos (but it is probably not worth trying to pin this
down to anything specific).

Alocasia macrorrhizos is actually important as a food in some areas of
Micronesia, but the edible stems are long and cylindrical, not so short
or rounded as most cultivars of Colocasia esculenta.

Peter

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From: criswick at spiceisle.com (criswick) on 2007.09.30 at 11:57:03(16366)
I have designed stamps for the government of Guyana in the late 1960s and in
those days the business was handled by the Crown Agents, a relic of the then
recent colonial period, and they employed the firm Bradbury, Wilkinson of
England, who in turn employed printers such as John Waddington and Harrison
and Sons, who did a quality printing job.

I don't know anything about the lucrative aspects of stamp production, but
it would seem to be obvious that philatelists would more eagerly seek
depictions of national cultural subjects, fauna and locally grown plants,
whether indigenous or not (the potato for Ireland, for example) than trashy
stuff based on foreign movies and cartoon characters. In the 1970s the
Grenada government went for the New York firm of Levi, which apparently made
them a seemingly attractive offer, and took over the choice of subjects; the
whole thing.

By the way, the "other ways" are also used!

John Criswick.

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From: mossytrail at hctc.com (mossytrail) on 2007.10.03 at 23:10:07(16387)
Almost each country has an issue of stamps with
> cacti or tropical orchids. There's no rule that only the
> native (or endemic) plants should be on stamps. However
> aroids are rare on stamps. I think it should be a
> recognizable group together with cacti, orchids and roses.
> My country (Poland) has never released any stamp with an
> aroid, but the neighbours did (Germany - 3 stamps and
> Czech Rep. also 3 stamps). In our area grow wild: Calla
> palustris, Arum orientale, Arum maculatum, a few species
> of Lemna and Spirodela polyrrhiza.
>
It will be a most unusual country that issues a stamp with
any Lemnoidea. But those other European Araceae would
certainly be nice to see on stamps.

From: abri1973 at wp.pl (Marek Argent) on 2007.10.05 at 12:19:31(16396)
If I could draw better I would make a series with aroids (coz I hate stamps
with photographed plants)
and I would send it to the national post with a proposal of an aroid issue.
The plants would be also not the most popular ones
coz on the most of stamps with aroids there are Anthurium andreanum &
scherzerianum and Zantedeschia cultivars
My series would be: Spirodela polyrrhiza, Epipremnum pinnatum 'Aureum',
Helicodiceros muscivorus, Alocasia reginula and Amorphophallus (maybe
muelleri).

Now you can see my collection of aroid stamps on the page:
http://www.wschowa.com/abrimaal/araceum/stamps/stampe.htm
But it hasn't been updated for a long time and I plan to modify it.

Marek

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From: edleigh7 at optusnet.com.au (edleigh) on 2007.10.08 at 07:49:16(16423)
What a great collection of stamps you have there, Marek!!
Regards,

Ed & Leigh

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From: denis at skg.com (Denis Rotolante) on 2007.10.08 at 16:42:08(16427)
Now that's truly art.

Denis

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From: abri1973 at wp.pl (Marek Argent) on 2007.10.08 at 22:58:16(16430)
> Hello,
>
> These are not all, I have about 7-8 new aroid stamps not scanned yet,
> first I have to finish my website with all plant stamps
> (www.abristamps.prv.pl) - there will be all my stamps, not only aroids.
> Now there are scanned all stamps from Europe and a part of Asia which I
> collected.
>
> And when I finish Abristamps, I will change the scans in the aroid stamps
> page in www.araceum.prv.pl because I have a new scanner and it scans with
> much better quality than the previous one.
>
> Marek
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