Flowers of Cocos Islands

Australia post issued a set of four stamps featuring some of the beautiful flowers found on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

The Ipomoea pes-caprae, one of the most widely distributed beachplants throughout tropical and subtropical areas in the world, is a pink-purple flowered trailing plant that grows along the ground on beach dunes, helping to stabilise them.

The Hibiscus tiliaceus is an evergreen tree, indigenous throughout the tropics and subtropics and highly variable in form. Its beautifulcup-shaped flowers are fragrant and short-lived, changing colours through yellow to pink prior to falling.

The Suriana maritima, a shrub to three metres, is often found growing on sand dunes and rocky shores. It has yellow, cup-shaped flowers, which occur consistently throughout the year.

The flower of the Morinda citrifolia is a composite cream colour, while its egg-shaped fruit is sometimes known as rotten cheese fruit because of its pungent smell.

Title: Flowers of Cocos Islands
Date of Issue: 15 September 2010
Country: Australia
Denominations: 2 x 60c, 2 x $1.20