The KSS has an online form through which people (members and non-members alike) can ask questions with regards to Korea and philately. Often we answer these questions directly, but occasionally a question which might even have looked simple when we received it can lead to complete articles containing new information about previously unknown items.
A recent question was this one: “Do you know the botanic latin names of 4 trees stamps value 270; issue 2012 year?” Well yes, as a matter of fact we do.
First off, the stamps are these four stamps, issued in May 2012 as part of the “Old & Historic Trees of Korea” series. The stamps, KPC 2854-2857 (Scott 2381 for the complete sheet), formed the fourth (and incidentally also the last) issue in this series.
What the fourth issue shows are trees which are each officially designated as a “Natural Monument”. The tree standing in the middle of a field of wheat is for instance “Natural Monument No. 493”. This particular tree even has its own individual name, “Honggosu”, and is well over 500(!) years old.
However, back to the question. So, what types of trees are these trees? They are:
| Cat.no. | Korean | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| KPC2854 | 느티나무 | Zelkova serrata | Japanese elm |
| KPC2855 | 탱자나무 | Citrus trifoliata | Trifoliate Orange |
| KPC2856 | 이팝나무 | Chionanthus retusus | Chinese Fringetree |
| KPC2857 | 올벚나무 | Prunus itosakura | (See Wikipedia) |
Just for good measure, here are both the sheet and the new stamp leaflet:
Images in page copyright: 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost
Thanks for reply at my question.
I collect world stamps :flowers, plants, trees, fruits, vegetables classified by latin botanic name and familly? I have more 24.000 stamps.
Kind regards