- This is one of several related articles about cannabis. This article deals with the biology of the genus Cannabis. Cannabis (drug) is about marijuana, hashish and related drugs. Hemp is about cultivation for non-drug uses, and the non-drug uses themselves. See also Hemp (disambiguation).
Cannabis is a
genus of
flowering plant that includes one or more species. The plant is believed to have originated in the mountainous regions just north-west of the
Himalayas in
India, though it could also have come from
Northern Africa. It is also known as
hemp, although this term usually refers to cannabis cultivated for non-drug use. As a
drug it usually comes in the form of dried flowers (
marijuana), resin (
hashish), or various extracts collectively referred to as
hash oil.
Species
The genus
Cannabis was formerly placed with
nettles in the family
Urticaceae or with
mulberries in the family
Moraceae, but is now considered along with
hops (
Humulus sp.) to belong to the family
Cannabaceae.
All
strains of
Cannabis can interbreed, which means all known
Cannabis plants satisfy the criteria for a single
species type called (
Cannabis sativa L.).
[Greg Green. 2005. The Cannabis Breeder’s Bible. Green Candy Press 15-17] However,
Cannabis has shown three distinct
landrace known as
Cannabis sativa,
Cannabis indica and
Cannabis ruderalis that are geographically isolated. Botanists, especially cannabis specialists, often refer to these three cannabis
landrace as separate species or subspecies types. Whether the different
strains of
Cannabis constitute a single
species (
Cannabis sativa L.) or multiple species has been a contentious issue for well over two centuries.
[Emboden, W. A. 1981. The genus Cannabis and the correct use of taxonomic categories. J. Psychoactive Drugs 13: 15–21.][Schultes, R. E., and A. Hofmann. 1980. Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens. C. C. Thomas, Springfield, IL., pp. 82–116.]
Cannabis has three different forms of plant sexuality, with some plants being dioecious, and other plants being hermaphroditic or monoecious.[Greg Green. 2003. The Cannabis Grow Bible. Green Candy Press 99-110] It is traditionally (albeit contentiously) divided into at least five subspecies, indica/sativa, pure indica, pure sativa, mostly sativa and mostly indica, each found as a cultivar and a wild variety.[Greg Green. 2005. The Cannabis Breeder’s Bible. Green Candy Press 14][Small, E., and A. Cronquist. 1976. A practical and natural taxonomy for Cannabis. Taxon 25: 405–435.] Cannabis sativa male plants show evidence of selection for traits that enhance fiber production and seed-oil (for fuel) but the female plant produce seeds (for food) and flower buds that can be used as a psychoactive substance because it has higher levels of the psychoactive delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), whereas Cannabis indica was primarily selected for drug production and has relatively higher levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabinol (CBN) than THC.
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Fast Facts: Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis sativa (marijuana) on their plantations.Ashlie15 (Ashlie) Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:14:30 -0000
Fast Facts: Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis sativa (marijuana) on their plantations.
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