Cannabis (
Cán-na-bis; English pronunciation:
/ˈkænəbɪs/) is a
genus of
flowering plants that includes three putative species,
Cannabis sativa,
[1] Cannabis indica,
[1] and
Cannabis ruderalis. These three
taxa are
indigenous to
Central Asia, and
South Asia.
[2] Cannabis has long been used for fibre (
hemp), for seed and seed oils, for
medicinal purposes, and as a
recreational drug. Industrial
hemp products are made from
Cannabis plants selected to produce an abundance of fiber. To satisfy the
UN Narcotics Convention, some hemp strains have been developed which contain minimal levels of
THC (Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol), one of the
psychoactive molecules that produces the "high" associated with
marijuana. The psychoactive product consists of dried flowers of plants selectively bred to produce high levels of THC and other psychoactive chemicals. Various extracts including
hashish and
hash oil are also produced from the plant.
[3]
Cannabis is an
annual,
dioecious,
flowering herb. The
leaves are
palmately compound or digitate, with
serrate leaflets.
[9] The first pair of leaves usually have a single leaflet, the number gradually increasing up to a maximum of about thirteen leaflets per leaf (usually seven or nine), depending on variety and growing conditions. At the top of a flowering plant, this number again diminishes to a single leaflet per leaf. The lower leaf pairs usually occur in an opposite
leaf arrangement and the upper leaf pairs in an alternate arrangement on the main stem of a mature plant.
Cannabis normally has
imperfect flowers, with
staminate "male" and
pistillate "female" flowers occurring on separate plants.
[10] It is not unusual, however, for individual plants to bear both male and female flowers.
[11] Although monoecious plants are often referred to as "hermaphrodites," true hermaphrodites (which are less common) bear staminate and pistillate structures on individual flowers, whereas monoecious plants bear male and female flowers at different locations on the same plant. Male flowers are normally borne on loose
panicles, and female flowers are borne on
racemes.
[12] "At a very early period the Chinese recognized the Cannabis plant as dioecious,"
[13] and the (ca. 3rd century BCE)
Erya dictionary defined
xi 枲 "male cannabis" and
fu 莩 (or
ju 苴) "female cannabis".
[14]
Cannabis is growing like
weeds at the foot of
Dhaulagiri.
All known strains of
Cannabis are
wind-pollinated[15] and produce "
seeds" that are technically
achenes.
[16] Most strains of
Cannabis are
short day plants,
[15] with the possible exception of
C. sativa subsp.
sativa var.
spontanea (=
C. ruderalis), which is commonly described as "auto-flowering" and may be
day-neutral.
Cannabis, like many organisms, is
diploid, having a
chromosome complement of 2n=20, although polyploid individuals have been artificially produced.
[17] The plant is believed to have originated in the mountainous regions northwest of the Himalayas. It is also known as hemp, although this term is often used to refer only to varieties of
Cannabis cultivated for non-drug use.
Cannabis plants produce a group of chemicals called cannabinoids, which produce mental and physical effects when consumed.
Cannabinoids,
terpenoids, and other compounds are secreted by glandular
trichomes that occur most abundantly on the floral
calyxes and
bracts of female plants.
[18] As a drug it usually comes in the form of dried flower buds (
marijuana),
resin (
hashish), or various extracts collectively known as
hashish oil.
[3] In the early 20th century, it became illegal in most of the world to cultivate or possess
Cannabis for sale or personal use.
LETS SEE YOU PULL A WEED OUTTA THE GROUND SMOKE IT AND GET HIGH???