This medallion cover features limited medallion and corresponding stamp from the Dahlias Australian Cultivars stamp issue.

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae family, along with sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums and zinnias, and are named in honour of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl (1751–1789), a student of the famous taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778). They were introduced to Australia from Britain in the early nineteenth century.

Due to Dahlias’ genetic makeup, it is easy to create new cultivars (cultivated varieties, made by selecting for desired traits). This characteristic, their longevity as cut flowers, and the fact that they can grow in a wide range of climates make them popular among gardeners in many parts of the world. Today there are some 42 distinct Dahlia species and 65,000 registered cultivars, in a vast range of shapes, sizes and colours.

Australian enthusiasts and plant breeders have created many popular and commercially successful Dahlia cultivars, winning prizes locally and overseas. Bracken Palomino was bred by Neville Naumann of Bracken Ridge in Queensland. Like many plant breeders, Mr Naumann used one prefix when naming his cultivars, in this case derived from the place where he lived. Nayap was bred in Victoria by Bill Johnson, who created names by combining letters from a unique coding system that signified different colours and types. Wangolina Semillon was bred by Anita Goode, who is also a winemaker on her family vineyard, ‘Wangolina’, in South Australia.