Author: thedigitalphilatelist

The Dwarf Red Hibiscua (Hibiscus rhodanthus) is a small plant with bright red flowers, herbaceous in the aboveground parts and permanently woody in the underground rootstock. It is found in in open woodland and grassland. Stamps & Postal Products 1968 Wildflowers of Malawi – 1/6d Hibiscus Rhodanthus References Flora of…

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Borreria dibrachiata (also known as the winged forget-me not) is common in Mashonaland during the summer months. The striking feature of this plant is a pair of large leaf-like, pointed bracts, just below the flower head. The flowers themselves are mauve or blue, about ½ inch long, they are tubular,…

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Giant Milkwood (Calotropis procera) is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, Pakistan, tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia and Indochina. It typically grows to a height of 6 feet in sunny and partly shaded habitats, including overgrazed pastures, rangeland, roadsides, river…

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The scrapermouth mbuna (Labeotropheus trewavasae) is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it prefers areas with rocky substrates. Its specific name honours the British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993) of the British Museum (Natural History).   References Malawi Cichlids Wikipedia: Scrapermouth mbuna

View More Malawi Philately: Scrapermouth Mbuna (Labeotropheus trewavasae)

Pseudotropheus auratus, the auratus cichlid, is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. It is also known as golden mbuna and Malawi golden cichlid. It is endemic to the southern region of Lake Malawi, particularly from Jalo Reef southward along the entire western coast down to Crocodile Rocks. References Wikipedia:Melanochromis auratus 

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When a British Protectorate was declared over the region in 1891, three gun boats were brought out, two for duty on the lake and one, the “Dove” to patrol the Upper Shire. The “Dove” was a side-paddle steamer, built by Yarrow & Co, and began operating in 1893. After 1900…

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Cyrestis camillus, the African map butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa, from Sierra Leone to Ethiopia and Tanzania and from Kenya to Natal.   References Wikipedia: Cyrestis camillus  

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Education University of Malawi Tourism Hotels and Tourism Ltd

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Vernicia fordii, usually known as the tung tree, is a species of Vernicia in the spurge family native to southern China, Burma, and northern Vietnam. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree. The bark is smooth and thin, and bleeds latex if cut.  The flowers have five pale pink…

View More Malawi Philately: Tung Tree (Vernicia fordii)

Malawi was the pioneer for tea growing in the African continent. The industry dates back to 1890 when Europeans still had abodes in Africa. Jonathan Duncan is attributed with consistently trying out a variety of tea seeds in the soils of British Central Africa (now Malawi) which he obtained from…

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