Commemorative stamp series - Germany / German Democratic Republic 1983 - 10 Pfennig

From cactus cultures of the GDR With the illustrations of cacti, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of the German Democratic Republic publishes six multicolored special postage stamps. Special cancellations from June 21st to August 20th, 1983 Cacti - attractive colors for insects In the case of cacti, the pollination of the flowers, which is vital for the preservation of the species, is usually done by insects or hummingbirds. From the thickets of the shrubs, the cacti with their mostly white flowers rise up to a height of 18 meters and stretch their pistils towards the pollinators. Often there are climbing nightbluers, which shine high above the leaves of the trees. It is different with the low ball and wart cacti, they attract by flying colors of the flowers or thorns, sometimes also by sweet smell of the gland excrements the flying and creeping pollinators. 10 Pfennig value: Thelocactus schwarzii An example of colorful flowers and at the same time colorful Bedornung is Thelocactus schwarzii from the district Tamaulipas in Mexico, named in 1950 by Curt Backeberg after the collector Fritz Schwarz. There are some very similar species, but the true Thelocactus schwarzii is easily recognizable on the steeply upright central spine. However, young, few-year-old plants do not yet have this typical feature. The flowers with their different colored rings in scarlet, white and purple are striking, visible from above land marks for nectar-seeking insects.