Hybrid gumamelas highlight new PHLPost stamps

With May considered Heritage Month - and the month of flowers - the Philippine Postal Corp. has issued stamps featuring the Philippine flower gumamela.

PHLPost said the special postage stamps particularly feature the Hybrid Gumamela to promote the country’s unique heritage here and abroad.

Featured on the stamps are four varieties of gumamela:

- the single, large-flowered white "Tandang Sora"
- the yellow "Nay Isa"
- "Goria"
- "Nazaria"

All are "known to be the first locally developed Hibiscus hybrids in the country," PHLPost said.

The stamps' design stemmed from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Hibiscus Hybrid “Centennial Series,” dedicated to Filipino women who PHLPost said "unselfishly served the cause of the Philippine revolution during the Spanish and American regimes."

Goria has medium flowers, regular single, deep rose petals with white eye zone and prominent white vein markings. Its plants are bushy, medium height, and a good bloomer.

Nay Isa has medium to large flowers, fully overlapped single, brilliant yellow petals with splashes of orange on the eye and zone. Its plants are tall, bushy with upright habit, and prolific bloomer.

Tandang Sora has a single medium regular flower, and creamy white petals with prominent red eye zone. Its plants are very prolific bloomer, upright with average height.

Nazaria has medium flowers, cartwheel overlapped single, cerise pink petals with deep red eye zone. Its plants are bushy with medium height, and good bloomer.

Designs

The stamps are laid out by PHLPost artist Rodine Teodoro, and sport the University of the Philippines logo in the background.

They will be sold at P10 each. Some 120,000 copies were printed by Amstar Company Inc.

PHLPost has issued stamps to mark Heritage Month in partnership with Filipino Heritage Festival Inc.

Last year, it released the textile series of stamps. — Joel Locsin/TJD/BM, GMA News