On March 10, 2025 the Ministry of Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic puts into circulation a series of 2024 Kyrgyz Express Post postage stamps: "XX International Botanical Congress in Madrid". In July 2024, the 20th International Botanical Congress (IBC) was held in Madrid, the capital of Spain.
This significant event in the field of botany takes place every six years under the guidance of the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS). The main topics of the 2024 Congress were: systematics, phylogenetics, biogeography and evolution, ecology and climate change, invasive species, interactions between flora and fauna, biodiversity and its conservation, genetics and genomics, bioinformatics, as well as the relationship between plants and society. To commemorate this major event in the world of botany, KEP has prepared postage stamps featuring a rare species of Kyrgyz flora - the Wrapped Alpine Saw-wort (Saussurea involucrata), which is also called the snow lotus.
The Wrapped Alpine Saw-wort is a perennial herbaceous plant reaching a height of 10-35 cm. Its inflorescence, in the form of a dense head, is located at the top of the stem and is surrounded by bracts. The plant blooms from July to August. In Kyrgyzstan, the Snow Lotus grows on rocky and gravelly slopes in alpine zones at elevations ranging from 2,100 to 4,000 meters above sea level.
The Wrapped Alpine Saw-wort has long been recognized for its medicinal properties and is used in traditional medicine in various countries.
As a rare species within the flora of Kyrgyzstan, this plant requires active human protection.
The KEP stamps feature photographs of the Snow Lotus taken by the professional Kyrgyz photographer Vladislav Ushakov at the Chon-Ashuu Pass (3,800 meters above sea level) in the upper reaches of the Turgen Ak-Suu Gorge. KEP expresses its gratitude to Vladislav Ushakov for his valuable contribution.
