If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 255

 Anemone coronaria or poppy anemone

This time of year I am looking at flowers, planting things, and hiking to see wildflowers hence when I saw this card I thought it would be a good one to share today.  Anemone coronaria or poppy anemone is featured on this lightly textured postcard printed in Switzerland.  The card is numbered 355 and has the ST Z.F. logo on the reverse.  It was sent to my mother from Bergen, Norway in 1939 as a Christmas greeting and carried well wishes on her recent marriage earlier that year.  It falls into the category of an art or novelty card.

ST Z. F. logo on reverse

These poppies that are native to the Mediterranean region have different common names in different countries.  They are referred to as Spanish marigolds, dağ lalesi in Turkey, kalanit in Hebrew, and shaqa’iq An-Nu’man in Arabic.  I thought is was interesting that the Hebrew name Kalanit metzuya has reference to a bride on her wedding day because of its beauty and majesty.  Anemone coronaria was elected in 2013 as the national flower of Israel in a poll by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. 

These flowers grow wild all over Israel, Palestine and Jordan.  The British soldiers during the British Mandate for Palestine were nicknamed “kalaniyot” for their red berets.  Although they can be different colors, the vast red carpets of anemones have become a major tourist attraction in the northern Negev region of Israel.

The stamp is the 20 øre rampant lion on a red background

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_coronaria