| Added by |
 Alain Martineau
|
| General Description : | From the souvenir sheet of 2 stamps, Gum Type: P.V.A. It’s hard not to look at the deep warm hues of the sunflower, with its wide open face and not smile. There’s something inherently happy about its blooms. Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) were a common crop among Aboriginals throughout North America, so much so that some archaeologists have suggested sunflowers may have been domesticated before corn. The seeds were ground into flour for cakes, mush or bread and the oil was used for cooking. While sunflowers originated in North America, thanks to exploration and colonization, they made a rather circuitous route to hybridization, via Russia and Eastern Europe. However, it was Canada that established the first official government sunflower breeding program in 1930, drawing the expertise of Mennonite farmers whose families had originated in Russia. The demand for sunflower oil grew and by 1946, these farmers built a small crushing plant. In 1964, the Canadian government licensed a Russian cultivar called Peredovik. |
| Face value | PERMANENT™ domestic rate $0.59 |
| Catalog code (Michel) | CA 2705 |
| Catalog code (Scott) | CA 2440b |
| Catalog code | Canada post Product #: 403789145; Yvert et Tellier CA 2587 WADP Numbering System - WNS CA025.11 |
| Series | Canadian flowers |
| Stamp colour | multicolor |
| Stamp use | Commemorative stamp |
| Print run | 200 |
| Issue date | 03/03/2011 |
| Designer | Isabelle Toussaint |
| Paper type | Tullis Russell |
| Print technique | Offset lithography |
| Printed by | Lowe-Martin |
| Perforation | 13+ |
| Height | 32.00 mm |
| Width | 26.00 mm |
| Catalog prices | No catalog prices set yet |
