Mushrooms - Flora of Ukraine

Mushrooms are definitely a Ukrainian cultural and culinary tradition. I grew up with an appreciation for certain types of mushrooms, particularly the Honey Mushroom (Armillariella mellea), which appears in the fall around tree stumps. My mother calls these mushroom "pidpenky," which means beneath the stump. They were standard fare at many meals, dried or fresh, as an ingredient in soups or as a side-dish.

This 1999 souvenir sheet was designed by Kateryna Shtanko, who also designed the Pysanky sheet, the Beekeeping sheet, as well as the award-winning "Wildflowers of Ukraine" sheet in 2001 (see Home). Honestly, it wasn't my intention to build a shrine to this talented artist.

From left-to-right and top-to-bottom, the stamps are:

• 30k. Honey Mushroom (Armillariella mellea)
• 30k. Blackfoot Paxillus (Paxillus atrotomentosus) Mushroom
• 30k. Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)
• 40k. Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) Mushroom
• a label (of no particular value)
• 60k. Meadow or Field Mushroom (Agaricus campester)

Of these, I've personally picked the Armilaria, the Chanterelle (my favorite) and the Campestris. I think that it was an oversight not to include The Mushroom, the Boletus edulis -- unless they're saving it for its own stamp.