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| Ceylon Stamp Vesak Orchid 15 Cents 1950 |
Text: 15c Vesak Orchid Ceylon
Condition: Ø = used/cancelled
Title: Kandyan
Dancer
Face value: 15
Stamp Currency: Ceylonese
cent
Country/area: Ceylon
Year: 1950-02-04
Set: 1950 Orchid
Stamp number in set: 1
Basic colour: Green, Violet
Exact colour: Blue green, Violet
Usage:
Definitive
Type: Stamp
Theme: Flowers,
Orchid
Stamp subject: Vesak Orchid
NVPH number:
Michel number: 261
Yvert number: 282
Scott number: 309
Stanley Gibbons number: 415
Printing office: Bradbury Wilkinson & Co, Ltd, New Maiden
Perforation: K 12½ : 12
Size:
Watermark: Lotusbloemen
Paper:
Printing: Recess
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Vesak Orchid
The Vesak Orchid is one of the most
widely known of all indigenous plants. It is diminishing in range and numbers
not to mention being threatened with extinction — unnoticed and unknown to many
and uncared for by authorities. It is sad to note that the Vesak Orchid has
been conveniently forgotten as we commemorate the Sambuddathwa Jayanthiya in
2012, despite this flower been traditionally associated with the Vesak festival
and the month of May. It has been a
special offering at temples during the
Vesak month (May), when this species usually blooms best.
It is an endemic flower, and the English
name Vesak Orchid is derived from the Sinhala name Vesak-Mala, which means
Vesak flower or more appropriately the plant that blooms during Vesak month.
Although it is such a well-known plant, very few people outside the natural
range of occurrence of this species can really identify it. It is, like most of
the orchids, an epiphyte, which means a plant that grows on other plants.
Stamped
The Vesak Orchid has been depicted thrice
in stamps. The first is a purple coloured stamp of 15 cents issued in 1950 with
English lettering, and the second was the same stamp with Sinhala lettering
issued in 1958 and the third, a one Rupee stamp issued in 1995, in one of the
four stamps being issued in commemoration of the century of the Orchid Circle
of Sri Lanka. It was also depicted in a fifty Rupee bank note issued in 1979,
which was one of the series of bank noted that were depicted showing our endemic
animals and plants.
Even though, many people outside the
habitats can correctly identify this species. There are several native
Dendrobiums (a plant of the genus Dendrobium having stems like cane and usually
showy racemose flowers) that have plants and flowers that are somewhat similar
to this, the most notable being the Poson Orchid (Dendrobium Macrostachium),
which has a pink flower that is smaller, has a tighter appearance, a tubular
lip with yellow in the middle. It is noteworthy that the villagers are able to
discern the true Vesak Orchid from the others. The other type is with a
superficial similarity being collectively called by village folk as
“Kaputu-Vesak” This term literally means “crow-vesak” but the term Kaputu
(crow) is broadly associated in the Sinhala usage to denote something of a
lower esteem and not to do with the crows only, as in the case of these flowers
that have no association with the crows. In addition, there are exotic species
such as Dendrobium Comosum that are also confused with this species and have
given the erroneous idea that this is a common species that could be easily
grown.
The diminishing range of occurrence and
the drastically reducing population of the Vesak Orchid is yet another adverse
consequence of the destruction and degradation of habitats, in this case -
specifically the Wet Zone forests.
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