USPS Forever Stamps Poinsettia 18 Stamps

This listing is for a single-sided sheet of 18 Poinsettia Forever stamps, perfect for holidays and all occasions. The stamp art depicts the rich red and vibrant green leaves surrounding the flower the cluster of small, rather modest cup-shaped structures in the center. The red petals that we think of as the flower are actually modified leaves called bracts. Artist William Low of Huntington, NY, working under the direction of Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, created the digital painting in Photoshop. Using a cordless pen or stylus, he painted his brushstrokes on a pressure sensitive screen, adding dabs of color and weaving layers of texture into the painting. A potted poinsettia served as Lows model. In order to keep the image fresh after the live plant passed its prime, he photographed the flower at its peak, capturing details in close-ups and preserving the perfect light that accentuated the poinsettias vivid color. In addition to red, Americas favorite poinsettia color, the modern plants are bred in many hues: pink, apricot, yellow, cream, and white, among others, with some unusual varieties that blend several colors in a speckled or marbled pattern. Native to Mexico, the poinsettia its botanical name is Euphorbia pulcherrima is a small tropical tree that can reach heights of more than 10 feet in the wild. The Aztecs revered the poinsettia, which they called cuetlaxochitl, as a symbol of purity. They used the bracts to make a reddish-purple dye for textiles and cosmetics and created a medicine from the plants milky sap that counteracted fever.