Norway 9 February 2000

On 9 February 2000 the Norwegian post released two new issues. Four stamps depict flowers and another one shows a blue heart and was issued especially for St. Valentine's day.

Norwegian flora

Four new flower stamps went on sale on 9 February. The subjects are Oeder's Lousewort (5.4 kr), White Water Lily (8 kr), Globe Flower (14 kr) and Melancholy Thistle (25 kr). The four stamps are colourful and beautiful representatives of Norwegian flora. The four stamps were printed in offset by Norges Banks Seddeltrykkeri.

Oeder's Lousewort

The Oeder's Lousewort is a perennial, a rather short mountain plant, with a thick, robust and often red-brown stem, toothed leaves and yellow flowers, which are clearly divided into an upper and a lower lip. George Oeder was a German-Danish botanist, who published the well-known, illustrated work Flora Danica (which then included Norwegian plants) from 1761 onwards.

White Water Lily

The White Water Lily has the largest flowers of all Norwegian plants, up to 15 cm in diameter. These plants root in the mud under the water, while their long-stalked leaves float on the surface. The White Water Lily is common in east and parts of south and west Norway, but it only occurs sporadically further up the coast towards the county of Troms.

Globe Flower

The Globe Flower is easy to recognise by its yellow, globular flowers, with sepals curving in at the top. The inner sepals are rather unusual: they have been converted into trumpet-formed containers for nectar. Like many other plants in the buttercup family, the Globe Flower is rejected by grazing animals and feed containing globe flowers is useless. This flower is quite common in the east of Norway.
The Melancholy Thistle is the most beautiful of Norwegian thistles and the most likeable because it is not prickly. The characteristic white-felted underside of its leaves forms a marked contrast with the dark green upper side. The stalks can grow to more than a metre in height and are topped with large, purple flower heads. This flower is found all over Norway and grows as high up as 1700 metres above sea level.

St. Valentine's day

"It was exciting to express love in such a small format", said Therese Nortvedt. She designed this year's Valentine Day stamp. She is one of the best known Norwegian painters. Her work has been purchased by the National Gallery and by Queen Sonja.
"To have your work featured on a stamp is a fantastic honour much prized by artists", says Nortvedt. "I feel that my stamp has given me a unique chance to reach far more people than I usually do. Paintings are often too expensive for ordinary people to buy and exhibitions are held in one place, not all over the country."
The stamp has a value of 4 kr. and was printed in offset by Norges Banks Seddeltrykkeri.

More information

Stamps of Norway
Postage Stamps 2000