SUBTROPICAL FRUIT

Venda, Tshakhuma · 1983-10-26

Official

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front

Cachet: The cachet on this cover shows a farmer inspecting ripe fruit still on the branch, framed within a large circular illustration. The figure wears a headscarf and simple work clothes, holding two pieces of fruit up for close examination against a backdrop of dense green foliage. Beneath the illustration the title "Subtropical Fruit" appears in plain black type, with a small Venda crest and the series marking "1.17" placed in the top left corner of the cover. Four stamps fill the top right corner in a block, each illustrated by Garry Jackson and showing a different subtropical fruit grown in Venda, from avocado to litchi. Two Tshakhuma postmarks, each featuring a woman carrying a woven basket, cancel the stamps.

Info card

SUBTROPICAL FRUIT 10c stamp Avocado The avocado, Persea americana, originated from the cool highlands of Central America. This fruit does well in the cooler subtropical areas of Venda. The evergreen tree can grow to a height of 15 m. Avocados are highly nutritious and contain approximately 20% oil as well as carbohydrates, minerals and protein. In Venda various cultivars are harvested from April till September. 20c stamp Mango The mango, Mangifera indica, has been cultivated in India for more than 4 000 years. It is a tropical fruit which is cultivated in the frostless subtropical areas of Venda. The tree becomes very big and can attain a life-span of 50 years. The various cultivars are harvested from November till March. Mango's are mainly marketed as fresh fruit, but ripe fruit is also canned, dried and liquidized. A tasty chutney is produced from green fruit of fibrous cultivars. 25c stamp Papaya The papaya, Carica papaya, is undigenous to the tropical areas of Central America. It is cultivated in the warm, frostless regions of Venda. The papaya is not a true tree, but a herb which can grow to a height of 5 m. The plant is unisexual and dioecious, but lately great progress has been made in cultivating bisexual plants. Papayas are marketed in natura, and are also canned and liquidized. Papain powder is produced for medicinal use and as a tenderizer for meat. 40c stamp Litchi The litchi, Litchi chinensis, is indigenous to China and is mentioned in early Chinese literature. The evergreen tree thrives in Venda and grows to a height of 15 m. The fruit ripens in December and the reddish-brown clusters present a fine sight on the trees. Text compiled with the kind co-operation of the Citrus and Subtropical Fruit Research Institute, Nelspruit.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 26 October 1983 in Tshakhuma. It carries a set of four Venda stamps illustrated by Garry Jackson, each depicting a subtropical fruit grown in the territory. The avocado shown on the 10c stamp is not native to Africa at all. It originated in the cool highlands of Central America, yet found a second home in Venda's cooler subtropical areas, where various cultivars are harvested between April and September.

Theme: Flora

Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.

Addressed: No

Signed: No

SAPO serial number: 1.17

Estimated value: ~US$0.08

This is a high-level, subjective estimate only, not a professional appraisal.