2019 First-Class Forever Stamp,Cactus Flower: Pelecyphora aselliformis

# 5355 - 2019 First-Class Forever Stamp - Cactus Flower: Pelecyphora aselliformis

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US #5355
2019 Pelecyphora Aselliformis – Cactus Flowers

  • Pictures a hatchet cactus in bloom
  • Part of the set of 10 stamps celebrating the beauty of cactus flowers


Stamp Category: 
Definitive
Set:  Cactus Flowers
Value:  55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  February 15, 2019
First Day City:  Mesa, Arizona
Quantity Issued:  400,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Double-sided booklet of 20
Tagging:  Phosphor tagged paper, block tag

Why the stamp was issued:  To showcase the many colors, shapes, and sizes of flowers different cactus species produce.

About the stamp design:  Pictures an existing photograph by John P. Schaefer of a hatchet cactus (Pelecyphora aselliformis)­ in bloom. 

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Mesa, Arizona, at the AmeriStamp Expo/ARIPEX stamp show.  Arizona is home to many cactus species.

About the Cactus Flowers set:  Made up of 10 stamp designs, all picturing existing photographs by John P. Schaefer of different cacti species in bloom.  The species pictured include:  Opuntia engelmannii (Engelmann’s prickly pear cactus), Rebutia minuscula (fire crown cactus), Echinocereus dasyacanthus (Texas rainbow cactus), Echinocereus poselgeri (Dahlia cactus),  Echinocereus coccineus (Scarlet hedgehog cactus), Pelecyphora aselliformis (hatchet cactus), Parodia microsperma (golden Tom Thumb cactus), Echinocactus horizonthalonius (eagle’s claw cactus), Thelocactus heterochromus (glory of Texas cactus), and Parodia scopa (silver ball cactus).

History the stamp represents:  One of the strangest cactus species known is called Pelecyphora aselliformis, the hatchet cactus.  It is rarely found in cultivation, making it a highly sought plant by cactus and succulent collectors.

Most small to medium-sized cactus species are readily available to those who want to grow them.  However, there are some, like the hatchet cactus, that require much more work to find.  In fact, often the only way for collectors to acquire the species is by trading or buying from another collector.  Greenhouses and nurseries rarely stock the unusual cactus.

The hatchet cactus is a fairly small species and only grows to about four inches tall and two inches in diameter.  What makes it unique is the flat, oblong shapes on the cactus’s surface.  These are called tubercles and are arranged in spirals down the length of the plant.  These tubercles each have 40 to 60 spines, making the plant very tough.  Only one other species in the cactus family shares this characteristic.

Hatchet cacti are not often seen because they are very slow growing and difficult to cultivate.  Only highly skilled cactus collectors own this visually striking plant.  But when well taken care of, the plant produces beautiful pink to purple flowers in the spring, making the hatchet cactus worth the hard work.

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US #5355
2019 Pelecyphora Aselliformis – Cactus Flowers

  • Pictures a hatchet cactus in bloom
  • Part of the set of 10 stamps celebrating the beauty of cactus flowers


Stamp Category: 
Definitive
Set:  Cactus Flowers
Value:  55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  February 15, 2019
First Day City:  Mesa, Arizona
Quantity Issued:  400,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Double-sided booklet of 20
Tagging:  Phosphor tagged paper, block tag

Why the stamp was issued:  To showcase the many colors, shapes, and sizes of flowers different cactus species produce.

About the stamp design:  Pictures an existing photograph by John P. Schaefer of a hatchet cactus (Pelecyphora aselliformis)­ in bloom. 

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Mesa, Arizona, at the AmeriStamp Expo/ARIPEX stamp show.  Arizona is home to many cactus species.

About the Cactus Flowers set:  Made up of 10 stamp designs, all picturing existing photographs by John P. Schaefer of different cacti species in bloom.  The species pictured include:  Opuntia engelmannii (Engelmann’s prickly pear cactus), Rebutia minuscula (fire crown cactus), Echinocereus dasyacanthus (Texas rainbow cactus), Echinocereus poselgeri (Dahlia cactus),  Echinocereus coccineus (Scarlet hedgehog cactus), Pelecyphora aselliformis (hatchet cactus), Parodia microsperma (golden Tom Thumb cactus), Echinocactus horizonthalonius (eagle’s claw cactus), Thelocactus heterochromus (glory of Texas cactus), and Parodia scopa (silver ball cactus).

History the stamp represents:  One of the strangest cactus species known is called Pelecyphora aselliformis, the hatchet cactus.  It is rarely found in cultivation, making it a highly sought plant by cactus and succulent collectors.

Most small to medium-sized cactus species are readily available to those who want to grow them.  However, there are some, like the hatchet cactus, that require much more work to find.  In fact, often the only way for collectors to acquire the species is by trading or buying from another collector.  Greenhouses and nurseries rarely stock the unusual cactus.

The hatchet cactus is a fairly small species and only grows to about four inches tall and two inches in diameter.  What makes it unique is the flat, oblong shapes on the cactus’s surface.  These are called tubercles and are arranged in spirals down the length of the plant.  These tubercles each have 40 to 60 spines, making the plant very tough.  Only one other species in the cactus family shares this characteristic.

Hatchet cacti are not often seen because they are very slow growing and difficult to cultivate.  Only highly skilled cactus collectors own this visually striking plant.  But when well taken care of, the plant produces beautiful pink to purple flowers in the spring, making the hatchet cactus worth the hard work.