Flowers of the Empire: flowers on British North American stamps have a long history

Although popular today, floral decoration on Canadian stamps dates back only to the 1960s. However, flowers as symbols of the lands that make up what we now call the United Kingdom are prominent on a number of the first postage stamps of British North America.

An outstanding example is this 1851 3-penny diamond-shaped stamp from Nova Scotia, one of that British Atlantic coastal colony’s earliest imperforate issues.

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Surrounding the British crown at the center are the four blooms of the nations that make up Great Britain: the rose of England (or Tudor rose) at top, the Scotch thistle at right, the Irish shamrock at left, and the Welsh daffodil at bottom.

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