Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Palm Trees Stamps

Palm are one of the most well-know and extensively cultivated plant families. Most palms are distinguished by their large evergreen leaves arranged at the top of an unbranched stem. However, many palms are exceptions to this statement, and palms in fact exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics. Palms also inhibit nearly every type of habitat from rainforest to deserts. However the majority of the species are tropical or subtropical as few palms can tolerate cold weather.

Palms have been important to humans throughout much of history. Many common products and foods are derived from palms. Today palms are a common feature in botanical gardens or as indoor plants and they are widely used in landscaping for their exotic appearance and also due to palms being easy to manage plants.



Fish Tail Palm (Caryota mitis)

This palm is commonly known as Fish Tail Palm due to its fish-tail like leaves. A clump consists of a few stems of up to 3.5 metre high. Its inflorescence is a dense mass hanging downwards, The fruits are globose about 5mm in diameter and green turning red when ripe.



Fan Palm (Licuala grandis)

This solitary fan palm is named after its fan like leaves which are 50 to 60 cm in diameter with coarsely toothed edges. The petiole are 70 to 90 cm long and thorny. Its inflorescence arches 1 to 2 metre long. Flowers are yellowish whereas the fruits are globose 6 to 8 mm in diameter, green turning crimson when ripe.



Serdang Palm (Livistona saribus)

This solitary palm can still be found growing wild in the swampy forest. The trunk is straight up to between 10 and 20 metres. The fan shaped leaves about 1 metre in diameter with leaflets deeply divided. Its inflorescence is large, up to 1.5 metre with numerous branches. Flowers are yellowish, whereas the fruits are globose about 2 cm in diameter, purplish turning black when ripe.



Sal Palm ( Johannesteijsmannia altifrons)

This medium sized stemless palm is a hermaphrodite plant of up to 5 or 7 metres in height. The leaves are large, entire diamond shaped, 3 metre long and 1 metre wide. The petiole is almost the same length as the leaf and has sharp thorns. Its inflorescence is axillary, and the leaves are white in colour whereas the fruits are globose 3 to 3.5 cm in diameter, corky, very knobbly and are almost black in colour.



Serdang Endau ( Livistona endauensis)

This small to medium palmis only found in the forest of Endau-Rompin, Malaysia. the trunk is erect and slender about 20 cm in diameter, carries a crown of palmate with rather stiff segments of green leaves.

The endemic palm of Endau-Rompin is now planted in many public parks and gardens as a rare collection of palm.





Technical Details

Date of Issue : 19th May 2009

Stamp Value : 50 sen (3 Designs)

Sheet Content : 20 Values

Miniature Sheet : RM3

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Perforation 14

Paper Watermarked SPM, Phosphor Coated

[This issue marks the introduction of a new watermark incorporating the flying bird logo of Pos Malaysia and SPM. This watermark is easily viewed under UV light]

Printing Process Lithography

Printer : Percetakan Keselamatan Nasional Sdn. Bhd.

Designer : Hazel Design Sdn. Bhd.


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