50 Rupees 1979, Sri Lanka
| in Krause book | Number: 87 |
| Years of issue: | 26.03.1979 |
| Edition: | 15 000 000 |
| Signatures: | Minister of Finance: Mr. Ronald Joseph Godfrey de Mel, Governor: Mr. Warnasena Rasaputram |
| Serie: | 1979 Issue |
| Specimen of: | 26.03.1979 |
| Material: | 100% raw cotton |
| Size (mm): | 137 х 69 |
| Printer: | De la Rue Lanka Currency and Securities Print (Pvt) Ltd, Malawana |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
The Sri Lanka Lion (Panthera leo sinhaleyus), also known as the Ceylon Lion, was a prehistoric subspecies of lion, endemic to Sri Lanka. It appears to have become extinct prior to the arrival of culturally modern humans, c. 37,000 years BC.
This lion is only known from two teeth found in deposits at Kuruwita. Based on these teeth, P. Deraniyagala erected this subspecies in 1939. However, there is insufficient information to determine how it might differ from other subspecies of lion. Deraniyagala did not explain explicitly how he diagnosed the holotype of this subspecies as belonging to a lion, though he justified its allocation to a distinct subspecies of lion by its being "narrower and more elongate" than those of recent lions in the British Natural History Museum collection.
Avers:
Ceylon Forester butterfly (Lethe dynsate) - endemic of Sri Lanka. Inhabits low-lying wet areas and the central hills. Rare.
The red-faced malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This Malkoha species is endemic to Sri Lanka, although some old records have apparently erroneously referred to its presence in southern India. According to Baker (1934). It is found in the South of Travancore, where it was obtained by Stewart together with its nests'. Later, Biddulph reported a red-faced malkoha in Madurai district, southern Tamil Nadu. Thilo Hoffmann later pointed out that this record would not stand up to a modern records committee, and it is now best disregarded.
The presence of red-faced malkoha in the island is largely confined to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and the surrounding vegetation, which is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world.
The bird perched on Hydnocarpus venenata.
Hydnocarpus venenata is a species of plant in the Achariaceae family. It is endemic to Sri lanka. It is threatened by habitat loss. This species has been included as a Mozambican species on the basis of its presence in the Preliminary Mozambican checklist. However there is no species of this name in the Sub-Saharan checklist.
On the background is the view at sunset in Indian Ocean.
Vertically, along the left edge, are the inscriptions in Sinhala, Tamil and English languages "Central Bank of Ceylon". Centered, over the field of banknote watermark, indicated the serial number. Underneath is the denomination in words in Sinhala language - "Fifty rupees". Below the watermark is the date of issue of the banknote - 26.03.1979.
Denominations in numerals are in all corners, in numeral and in words top left.
Revers:
Mesua thwaitesii.
Glabrous trees, to 20 m. high; bark dark brown, smooth. Leaves simple, opposite, decussate. Distributed in South India and Sri Lanka.
Dendrobium maccarthiae.
Common Name: Mrs. Maccarthy's Dendrobium [English wife of Colonial Ceylon Governor 1800's] - in Sri Lanka - Wesak Mal.
Found in southern Sri Lanka in very hot and wet tropical evergreen forests as a small to medium sized, hot to warm pendant growing epiphyte with basally swollen, green to grayish white stems have crimson spots and blackish joints with a few apical, linear-lanceloate leaves and blooms in the late spring and summer on a 3.5 to 4.3" [9 to 11 cm.] long, racemose, pendant, few [2 to 5] flowered inflorescence carrying fragrant, long-lasting flowers that do not open well.
The Sri Lanka spurfowl (Galloperdix bicalcarata) is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to the dense rainforests of Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as haban kukula - හබන් කුකුලා in Sinhala Language.
It is a very secretive bird, and despite its size is difficult to see as it slips through dense undergrowth. Often the only indication of its presence is its distinctive ringing call, consisting of series of three-syllabled whistles. Kitulgala and Sinharaja are sites where there is a chance of seeing this bird.
The Brown-patched Kangaroo lizard (Otocryptis wiegmanni), also called Wiegmann's Agama or Sri Lankan Kangaroo Lizard, is a small, ground dwelling agamid lizard endemic to the wet zone forests and lower mountain forests (up to 1300 meters) of Sri Lanka. It is commonly seen in the leaf litter of shady rain forests. When perceiving danger, it spurts away quickly on its large hind legs and might eventually climb up a sapling or tree. It feeds on small insects, grubs and tender shoots.
In the upper left corner is the face value by numeral "50", the right of which is the inscription in Sinhala, Tamil and English, "Central Bank of Ceylon". At the bottom of the banknote, under skink, is an inscription - "Fifty Rupees" in Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Comments:
Was valid until 1998. Solid security thread.
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