About This Stamp
A 20-cent block of four commemorative stamps featuring orchids indigenous to the United States was issued March 5, 1984, in Miami, Florida. The First Day of Issue ceremony was held in conjunction with the opening of the 11th World Orchid Conference at the James L. Knight International Convention Center. The stamps were designed by Manabu Saito of Stillwater, New Jersey, and modeled by Clarence Holbert.
Orchids represent the largest family of flowering plants, with over 30,000 different species. They grow nearly everywhere in the world except the Arctic, Antarctic, and desert regions.
Each of the stamp designs features a native American orchid from a different section of the country. Appearing of the upper left stamp is the Wild pink orchid (Arethusa bulbosa), which is indigenous to Florida; the upper right stamp features the Yellow lady's-slipper (Cypripedium calceolus), which grows in the Midwest; the lower left stamp represents the Spreading pogonia (Cleistes divaricata), which is native to the Northeast, and the lower right stamp depicts the Pacific calypso (Calypso bulbosa), found along the Pacific coast.
The stamps were printed in the photogravure process, with 48 stamps per pane.