Beavertail Cactus Postage Stamps | Desert Plants Series | Southwestern | Vintage Unused USPS Postage 20c

Add desert floral style to your letters with these stunning vintage unused Desert Plants series "Beavertail Cactus" postage stamps! This classic cactus design is perfect for adding timeless beauty to your save-the-dates, wedding invitations, thank you cards, shower invites, birth announcements, and other snail mail correspondence. In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 20-cents. These authentic USPS postage stamps are suitable for current mailing when used with the total required postage based on the weight of your mailing. Deliver Southwestern beauty with this exquisite vintage postage stamp!

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Name: Beavertail Cactus (aka "prickly pear" or "nopal/nopales" in Spanish)
• Series: Desert Plants
• Year Issued: 1981
• Face Value: 20-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Cactus, Desert, Opuntia Basilaris, Flowering Cactus, Red Flower, Southwestern, Western, Texas, Mexican
• Color(s): Green, Red, Magenta, Brown, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save the Date Announcements, Shower Invitations, Birth Announcements, Thank You Cards, Snail Mail, and more…
• Printing Method: Offset Press, Intaglio
• Scott Number: 1944
• Adhesion Type: Gummed (see below for adhesion instructions)
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: This stamp is part of the United States Postal Service’s "Desert Plants" commemorative issue, released on December 11, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona. The stamp's design features the beavertail cactus (Opuntia basilaris) in bloom, depicted with its characteristic flat, rounded paddles and vibrant magenta-pink flowers. The blossoms are shown prominently, contrasting against the muted desert tones of the background. The Beavertail Cactus design is rendered in rich, multicolored tones, giving depth and detail to the cactus paddles and their prickly textures. Because it is part of a topical series emphasizing the resilience of desert life, this stamp has appealed to collectors of botanical, natural history, or thematic stamps.

PLANT INFORMATION: The Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris) is a low-growing, spreading cactus native to the deserts of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. It is named for its distinctive flattened, oval pads (or "paddles"), which resemble the broad tail of a beaver. These pads are typically blue-green to gray-green in color and grow in clustered segments that form dense mats close to the ground.

Unlike many prickly pear species, the beavertail cactus generally lacks long, prominent spines. Instead, it is covered with tiny, hair-like glochids—fine barbed bristles that can detach easily. The pads are thick and fleshy, designed to store water efficiently in arid conditions, enabling the plant to survive prolonged drought.

Its most striking feature is its large, vibrant flowers, which bloom in spring. The blossoms range from deep pink to magenta and can be several inches wide, emerging dramatically from the pad edges. The vivid coloration contrasts sharply with the muted desert landscape, making the plant highly recognizable when in bloom. After flowering, it produces dry, bristly fruits.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris) carries a gentle yet profound spiritual symbolism rooted in resilience, endurance, and quiet beauty in harsh places. Found in the deserts of the American Southwest, it thrives where few other plants can survive—its flat, paddle-like pads storing water, and its brilliant magenta blossoms emerging from an otherwise austere landscape. Spiritually, this transformation from starkness to sudden bloom mirrors the human capacity to flourish under adversity, symbolizing hope, perseverance, and the hidden life-force that sustains the soul even in barren times.

In Native American and Southwestern spiritual traditions, cacti like the Beavertail are often regarded as sacred protectors and healers. Their spines represent boundaries and self-preservation, teaching the importance of protecting one’s energy while still radiating beauty and generosity. The cactus’s internal reservoir of water is a metaphor for inner emotional and spiritual reserves—a reminder that nourishment and strength come from within.

The vivid magenta-pink flower of the Beavertail Cactus also carries symbolic resonance. It represents unconditional love, passion, and the awakening of the heart amid life’s deserts—proof that even in difficult environments, beauty and love can blossom. In spiritual practice, meditating on or connecting with the energy of the Beavertail Cactus can help one cultivate emotional resilience, calm strength, and balance between openness and protection. It stands as a desert guardian—quiet, steadfast, and luminous with inner grace.

STAMP SERIES HISTORY: The 1981 “Desert Plants” series was issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as part of its ongoing effort to highlight the diversity of American landscapes and native flora. Released on December 11th, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona, the series reflected growing national interest in environmental awareness and regional ecosystems during the late 20th century. There are four stamps in the series, each honoring a plant well adapted to harsh desert environments: Barrel Cactus, Agave, Beavertail Cactus, and Saguaro. Three of the plants — the Barrel Cactus, the Beavertail Cactus, and the Saguaro — are in the cactus family. The fourth plant featured in this series, the Agave, belongs to the amaryllis family. This issue sought to celebrate botanical species that thrive in aridity and extreme conditions. The stamps were all designed and modeled by Frank J. Waslick of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. 

GUMMED STAMPS: These postage stamps have a traditional moisture-activated gum on the back. These stamps require licking or wetting to adhere to envelopes or other surfaces. To ensure good adhesion, apply vintage gummed stamps to your mailings with a glue stick (we recommend using Elmer's "Re-Stick" glue sticks).

GENUINE USPS POSTAGE: These unused vintage postage stamps are perfectly valid for use as current postage for mailing with USPS as long as you use the adequate amount of postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing. Check current postage rates at USPS.com.

QUESTIONS? We love hearing from our customers and replies to inquires are usually answered the same day. Need more of this stamp? Looking for a particular stamp not found on our website? Want a curated postage set for your special event? Contact us with questions about vintage postage stamps and our services…

TELL YOUR STORY IN STAMPS: We’ve worked with hundreds of couples and their stationers to custom design highly stylized personalized postage sets based on our customer’s life stories. We can help you curate personalized vintage postage sets to commemorate your save-the-date, wedding, shower, announcement, and other special occasions in a truly unique fashion. Drawing on our encyclopedic knowledge of every stamp ever issued by the USPS, and sourcing from our extensive inventory of collectable unused vintage stamps, we’ll help you tell your unique story in stamps!

ABOUT HERITAGE POST HOUSE: Jennifer Kramer is the founder of Heritage Post House, a boutique vintage postage house located in Northern California. Jennifer sources the most beautiful unused vintage postage stamps ever issued by USPS and artfully arranges them into curated postage sets that are sure to add a special touch to your invitations, announcements, and special mailings. In addition to creating pre-arranged postage sets, Jennifer also works with couples (and their stationers) to create one-of-a-kind custom postage arrangements for wedding invitations, save the dates, and other special occasions.

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