1998 32c Flowering Trees: Prairie Crab Apple

US #3196
1998 Prairie Crab Apple

• From set picturing flowering trees from different geographical regions
• Issued the day before spring
• Features original paintings made to look like old prints
  
  

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Flowering Trees
Value:  32¢, first Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  March 19, 1998
First Day City:  New York, New York
Quantity Issued:  50,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, microprinting
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  Die Cut 11.3

Why the stamp was issued:  This is part of a set of stamps featuring five flowering trees from different regions of North America.

About the stamp design:  John Dawson, a wildlife and nature artist created five original paintings in the style of old-fashioned botanical prints.  Each stamp shows the tree’s blossom, leaves, stem, and fruit.  The Latin and English names are at the bottom of the stamp.

Special design details:  Each stamp contains a microprinted “USPS” hidden within the design.  On the Prairie Crab Tree stamp, it is near the base of the flower stems.

First Day City:  The Flowering Trees stamps were dedicated during the opening of the Postage Stamp Mega-Event held in New York City.

About the Flowering Trees set:  The set includes flowering trees found in different areas of the US.  The Southern magnolia is found along the coastal plains of the southeastern US.  The blue paloverde prefers the dry climate of the American Southwest.  The yellow poplar is the only tulip tree native to North America.  It grows in the East and Midwest.  As the name suggests, the prairie crab apple is found in the prairies of the Midwest.  The fifth tree is the Pacific dogwood, which grows in the river bottomlands and mountain slopes in the West.

History the stamp represents: The prairie crab apple (Malus ioensis) is one of seven species of crab apple trees native to North America.  There are also hundreds of cultivated varieties of crab apples, produced mostly for use as landscape trees and for ornamental purposes.  As its name implies, the prairies crab is found on the prairie, as well as in pastures, woodland openings, and along riverbanks and streams in the Midwest.  It grows primarily in Indiana and Minnesota but can be found as far south as Louisiana and Texas.
Interestingly, crab apple trees are in the rose family.  They are well known for their decorative fruit and attractive display of fragrant spring flowers.  The fruits are more tart and smaller than the common apple, but crab apples are still considered suitable for jellies, preserves, and cider.
The prairie, or Iowa, crab can grow to be 25 feet tall.  This tree can be distinguished by dense new growth each summer.  Its dark green leaves are pale and woolly underneath.  The flowers bloom in clusters during April and May, and they are white to pink in color with a sweet scent.  The fruit is round, smooth, and a pale green color.  Besides making a delicious jelly, these fruits are eaten by many wildlife species, including songbirds.