INDIGENOUS TREES OF VENDA
Venda, NZhelele · 1982-09-17
Official first day cover (FDC) · South African philately
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front
The cachet is a botanical illustration of a large white flower with layered, ruffled petals surrounding a dense golden centre, painted in soft naturalistic detail. Slender green leaves fan out around the bloom in clusters of five, some tinged with yellow at the edges. Below the illustration the Latin name "Adansonia digitata" appears in elegant script, referring to the baobab tree itself, whose flower is depicted here rather than its more famous swollen trunk.
Description of the Cachet
The cachet is a botanical illustration of a large white flower with layered, ruffled petals surrounding a dense golden centre, painted in soft naturalistic detail. Slender green leaves fan out around the bloom in clusters of five, some tinged with yellow at the edges. Below the illustration the Latin name "Adansonia digitata" appears in elegant script, referring to the baobab tree itself, whose flower is depicted here rather than its more famous swollen trunk.
Information Card
The natural indigenous forests of Venda cover a relatively large area of the country and various interesting and valuable types of trees are found. 8c stamp Euphorbia ingens [Mukonde] The "naboom" is a conspicuous tree that does very well in Venda's subtropical climate. It has a massive branched crown of fleshy, leafless quadrangular branches with sturdy paired thorns and it grows as high as 10 m. The tree contains a poisonous milky juice which, when it gets into the eyes, may cause blindness and when taken in, may result in intense diarrhoea. 15c stamp Pterocarpus angolensis [Mutondo] The kiaat tree is the most valuable furniture and timber tree of southern tropical Africa. This graceful tree bears plumelike composite leaves and yellow pea-flowers and grows as high as 15 m, with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m. Kiaat varies from light to dark brown and polishes beautifully. Apart from the manufacture of furniture it is also used for wooden plates, bowls, spoons and forks. The leaves, flowers and bark as well as the blood-red juice of the bark are used for a variety of ailments in folk medicine. 20c stamp Ficus ingens [Tshikululu] Of the wide variety of wild fig species the red-leaved rock fig with its gleaming bright-red spring leaves is one of the most beautiful trees. In Venda this rock fig grows as high as 4 m and offers good shade. In the cooler regions its aerial roots against rock-faces are conspicuous. It bears pisiform fruits in the axils of the sharp-pointed lancet-shaped leaves and also contains a white milk juice. 25c stamp Adansonia digitata [Muvhuyu] The baobab-tree is unmistakable against the northern slopes of the Soutpansberg Mountains and on the adjacent plains. These giants may grow as high as 15 m with a trunk circumference of up to 28 m. The tree has a swollen trunk with dark-green, palmate composite leaves and large pendulous waxy white flowers. It bears fruit shaped like ostrich-eggs with a dry white pulp in which large brown pips are bedded. The pulp makes a refreshing sourish drink when dissolved in water, hence also the name cream-of-tartar tree. Hollowed-out baobab trees have been used as a dwelling, a jail, a store and a pub. There is a legend that this splendid tree was planted upside-down by the gods. Text compiled by Professor H.P. van der Schijff, University of Pretoria.
Theme: Wildlife
Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.
Addressed: No
Signed: No
Stamp denomination: R0.68 (ZAR)
SAPO serial number: 1.12
Estimated value: ~US$0.1
This is a high-level, subjective estimate only, not a professional appraisal.
This first day cover (FDC) is part of Southern Covers, a private collection of 256 first day covers documenting the postal history and philately of South Africa and the homeland states. New to first day cover collecting? Read the guide to learn about cachets, postmarks, and stamp collecting terms, or browse the whole collection of Southern African FDCs.
