Κύπρος

Here we have a cover from Cyprus featuring the anemone coronaria (flower), the Beijing Olympics, and the Cyprus refugee fund.

The stamp with the flower is part of a 4v set featuring anemones that was issued 06 March 08. The one shown in this stamp is the anemone coronaria.

The anemone coronaria (a.k.a. poppy anemone, Spanish marigold, "dağ lalesi" in Turkish, "Kalanit" in Hebrew) is a species of flowering plant native to the Mediterranean region. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 20-40 cm tall, with a basal rosette of a few leaves. The flowers are borne singly on a tall stem with a whorl of small leaves just below the flower; the flower is 3-8 cm diameter, with 5-8 red, white or blue petal-like petals.

The Anemone coronaria is one of the most well known and beloved flowers in Israel. During the British Mandate of Palestine, British soldiers were nicknamed "Kalaniyot" for their red berets.

The stamp in the middle is part of the 4v Olympics set issued by Cyprus post for last year's Olympics. This stamp, as you can see, showcases the sport of tennis.

The last stamp, farthest to the right, is a postal tax stamp issued for the Cyprus refugee fund. These stamps with the same design was issued in 1974, 1977, and 1984, and have been issued every year since 1987. Does anyone have any information on why and how this started? I can;t seem to find any off the net. From what I understand, there was some political unrest in 1972 which I guess resulted in the inflow of refugees into the country. Beyond that I'm not really sure.