Gordon Beningfield (British, 1936 - 1998) "Mexican Hat" Signed lower right. Original Water Color painting on Cold Press Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting is the original painting which was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of the U.S. 29c Mexican Hat stamp issued July 24, 1992. Easy to identify with its sombrero-shaped flowers, Mexican hat grows in calcium rich soils of prairies, dry plains and roadsides. A hardy, drought tolerant perennial, Mexican hat spreads easily by seed and often covers large areas. Livestock and other herbivores frequently graze on the tender young plants. In southern climates, Mexican hat stays evergreen during mild winters. The flower heads -- attached to leafless stalks -- bloom from June to September. The sterile, drooping ray flowers vary in color from yellow to red or a combination of both colors. The tiny yellow disk flowers, arranged on an elongated, conelike structure, open from bottom to top as they mature. The cone reportedly smells like anise when crushed. Mexican hat also is called prairie coneflower. Native Americans used various parts of Mexican hat for food and medicine; the leaves and flower heads were steeped for tea, while the roots helped cure toothaches. Image Size: 7 x 6 in. Overall Size: 11.25 x 10.25 in. Unframed. (B13076)