Today, Singapore Post Limited released a new stamp issue on two flowering plants – the Pigeon Orchid and the Blue Pea Vine. This is to add variation to the 2007 Definitive stamps featuring various plants and animals.
The Pigeon Orchid (Dendrobium crumenatum) is a member of the family Orchidaceae. This orchid produces white, fragrant flowers with a yellow tinted throat. From the side, the orchid is resembles a flying pigeon, and hence, it is also commonly known as the Pigeon Orchid. This epiphytic plant, is common in Singapore and Malaysia, growing naturally on trees. It is a widely cultivated ornamental and landscape plant.
The Blue Pea Vine (Clitoria ternatea), also commonly known as the Butterfly Pea, is a vine native to tropical and equatorial Asia. A perennial climber with a woody base, it can climb tall grasses and crops, grows well in moist neutral soil and requires little care. It has been used as a leguminous mulch within elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) to improve the grass protein levels. Now it is widely grown as an ornamental plant. The flowers are harvested and are a traditional source of a blue food colour.