The Bermuda Post office unveiled its Bermuda Fruits stamp collection today.

The stamps, illustrated by local artist Janet Percy, showcase six different fruits found on the island: pomegranates, loquats, Surinam cherries, prickly pears, paw paws and bay grapes.

The stamp display, located outside the General Post Office on Church Street, also highlights some remedial benefits of each fruit.

Vance Campbell, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, said Bermudians used these fruits and other flora and fauna “to prepare home remedies and meals for as far back as the 17th century”.

He added: “Parcels sent through the Bermuda Post Office carrying these artistically memorable pieces of Bermuda will end up on every corner of the world.”

The minister encouraged people to eat “nutritiously dense fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet”, and to “enjoy Bermuda’s botanical environment”.

Ms Percy, whose design of a fish sculpture was used for a stamp years ago, said the display looked “absolutely beautiful” and that she was “honoured to have the opportunity to use my work in this way”.

She said her favourite piece was the prickly pear, which she completed before designing some of the other stamps and was reluctant to sell.

Naturopath Kuni Frith, owner of Herbgoddess Teas and author of Bermudian Folk Remedies, who also spoke at the unveiling, said: “History has a way of repeating itself, and it has certainly repeated itself with Bermudian folk medicine.

“Ms Percy has done an excellent job and I am proud to have her represent that part of our culture.”

Dr Frith discussed the benefits of herbal tea and the Department of Health offered free blood pressure and blood sugar screenings after the stamps were unveiled.