This stamp booklet celebrates the beauty of cacti, flowering perennial succulents that are abundant in the Southwest and other parts of the world. Most cacti grow very slowly and are tough, adaptable and low maintenance.
Cactus flowers are often large and flamboyant, with colors of white, red, pink, orange or yellow. Some flowers are also richly scented, and the nectar and colors attract pollinators such as bats, bees and birds.
These stamps celebrate the beauty of the cactus flower; each stamp features a photograph of one of these ten cacti flowers:
Pelecyphora aselliformis,commonly called hatchet cactus, woodlouse cactus or Peyotillo is found in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi where it grows as a small and clustering cactus. Its tubercles are very distinctive and similar to the skin of a woodlouse. The flowers of Pelecyphora aselliformis are pink to violet.
The cultivation of Pelecyphora aselliformis is not complex and like many Mexican cactus species. It needs a highly mineral soil with good drainage. Pelecyphora aselliformis seeds germinate well in the same mineral mix. Make sure to apply a top layer of very fine grit. Upon germination this will give the tiny seedlings some support. Pelecyphora requires full sun and moderate watering during summer in order to keep a compact and sturdy body. Keep it entirely dry in winter.
