Postal stamps: flowers - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 2010 - 45 Euro Cent

The permanent series "Flowers" draws the attention of people with modern and timeless motives to the beauty and variety of flowers in gardens and nature in Germany. With colorful and atmospheric representations, the series contributes to rediscovering the little pleasures of everyday life. On May 6, a stamp with a lily-of-the-valley motif will appear. Lilies of the valley, with their beguiling scent and their delicate, snow-white flower bells, embody the month of May par excellence. "Their fragrance breaks the ice of winter and of the heart," wrote poet Heinrich Heine once. As a symbol of happiness and love, lilies of the valley are sought after and whoever carries them with them on the first day of May is said to be enlivened by happiness throughout the year. The genus "Convallaria" includes only three species worldwide with some very different garden forms. The botanical name "Convallaria" derives from "con-vallis" ("encircled valley"). The species name "majalis" means "flourishing in May". Formerly, lilies of the valley were among the lily family, today they are counted to the Mäusedorngewächsen. The plant, which is between 15 and 25 centimeters tall, flowers between April and June and has spread from Europe to western Asia, the Caucasus and further into eastern Asia. The autumn-ripening red berries, which are toxic to humans, are a popular food for birds to use to spread the seeds. Otherwise, the lily of the valley has significance: its effect similar to the thimble is used in heart disease and in perfumery, the intense lily of the valley fragrance is in demand.