Inside the Cannabis Plant: A Breakdown of Its Parts 🌿
A guided tour from roots to trichomes
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Inside the Cannabis Plant: A Breakdown of Its Parts 🌿
The Journey Begins
Let's take a journey through the cannabis plant, from the ground up. Think of it as a guided tour, starting at the roots and making our way to the very top, where all the magic happens. By the end, you'll have a clear picture of what makes this plant so unique and why each part plays a crucial role.
Ready? Lez go!
The Seeds — The Beginning of Life
So, what came first, the chicken or the egg? The plant or the seed? Either way, the seed is where the cannabis journey begins.
Female cannabis plants produce seeds after being pollinated, and those seeds carry the genetics of the male plant that fertilized them. Once planted, each seed sends out a taproot that anchors the plant and kicks off the growing process
Roots — The Foundation ← (tune btw)
The taproot is the main root that stabilizes the plant in the soil. From this central root, smaller roots spread out, absorbing water, oxygen, and nutrients. Think of the roots as the plant's life support system. Without healthy roots, the plant wouldn't survive.
From these roots, the stem begins to grow.
Stem — The Core of the Plant
The stem is the big central structure that runs up the entire cannabis plant. It provides stability and structure, much like a human spine. It allows the plant to grow vertically while maintaining a strong hold in the ground. The stem also transports water, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the plant.
Interesting fact: Hemp fiber, which comes from the stem, is used to make clothes, paper, rope, car interiors, and more. It's better for the environment and more sustainable than many other materials such as wood, paper, concrete, leather and more.
Hemp was used by sailors such as the time of the vikings in the 8th-11th century and explorers like Christopher Columbus in the 15th century. It was used for their sails & ropes as they roamed the earth, exploring undiscovered land.
So yea, hemp comes mainly from the stem of the cannabis plant, remember that x
Now, let's move up to where the branches start to form.
Nodes — The Connection Points
Nodes are the points where the stem and branches connect. They're like little junctions along the plant's main highway.
Cultivators can determine if a plant is male or female by cutting into the node. This is important because only female plants produce the flowers (buds) that we consume. So cultivators need to know what plant they are dealing with to ensure they have the correct sex to grow. Yes to emphasise, it's the female plants we rely on for our cannabis. Women got one up on us here lads. 1 - 0.
Branches — The Path to the Buds
And the branch on the tree, and the tree in the hole, and the hole in the bog AND THE BOG DOWN IN THE VALLEY-O!
The branches. Branches extend out from the stem. Each branch can become a "bud site," where flowers form.
Cultivators aim to maximize the number of branches and bud sites. Why? More branches mean more bud sites. More bud sites means more buds. More buds means more produce to consume or sell. Cash dolla bills always squeezing it's arse in, isn't it.
It's not all about the money, but it certainly plays a part.
Leaves — The Plant's Solar Panels
There are three main types of leaves on the cannabis plant:
- Cotyledon Leaves — The first leaves to appear after the seed germinates. They provide nutrients to the seedling before photosynthesis kicks in.
- Fan Leaves — The iconic marijuana symbol. The one you see in the image. Y'all know it. FREE.THE.WEED, FREE.THE.WEED. "Ayo bro, it's just a plant". These leaves capture sunlight and play a key role in photosynthesis.
- Sugar Leaves — Smaller leaves that grow near the buds. They look like they're coated in sugar crystals, but those "sugar" crystals are actually trichomes, more on that in a bit.
Flower/Bud — The Star of the Show
The flower/bud, however you want to say it. The money maker. Why the cannabis plant is grown for medical/recreational purposes. Star of the show, it's your time to shine. It's where all the good stuff, THC, CBD, cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids are concentrated.
Here's the key point as mentioned above. Only female cannabis plants produce flowers that we use.
Interesting fact: Cultivators separate male and female plants to prevent pollination. Why? If a female plant gets pollinated, she stops putting her energy into growing big, resinous buds and starts producing seeds instead. Here's the thing, when she doesn't get pollinated, she stays hungry for it. That biological frustration drives her to work overtime, churning out thick layers of resin to lure in pollen that never comes. That resin is loaded with cannabinoids and terpenes. So yeah, no seeds means all that energy goes into potency.
Basically, we sexually frustrated the female plant to get the best buds. ( 1 - 1, on the turn volley, top bins) Your mum's your dad etc etc.
The flowers are dried out when cut from the plant. This is what is then used by users of cannabis. Either the flower itself as a whole or some extracts from it.
Colas — The Crown Jewels
At the very top of the plant, you'll find the cola, a cluster of buds growing closely together. The main cola is typically the largest and has the highest concentration of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.
Think of it as the cherry on top of our cake.
Trichomes — The Frosty Goodness
Trichomes are those tiny, crystal-like structures that give cannabis its frosty appearance. When we look at the cannabis plant we notice it has a frosted like shine to it. They look like little snail eyes popping out from the plant. 🐌
These resin glands are packed with THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids and terpenes. They're also a defense mechanism, protecting the plant from predators and harsh environments.
If you've ever ground cannabis up you'll have noticed that at the bottom of your grinder "kief" forms. Kief are trichomes that fall on the bud itself and make their way to the bottom of your grinder. Kief is just a concentrated collection of trichomes.
Other Notable Parts
- Bracts — Small leaves that protect the female reproductive system.
- Calyx — A part of the plant that holds the pistil and trichomes.
- Pistil — Contains the reproductive parts of the plant.
- Stigma — Fine hair like structures that collect pollen on the female plant.
Final Thoughts — It's Just a Plant
So, there you have it, a breakdown of the cannabis plant from the roots to the top. Hopefully, you've learned something new. Maybe now you know where your kief comes from or why only female plants produce the buds we consume.
Cannabis is more than just THC and CBD. It's a complex plant with many components that work together to create its effects. Understanding the plant's anatomy is the first step to making more informed decisions when interacting with cannabis.
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References
Booth, J.K. and Bohlmann, J., 2019. Terpenes in Cannabis sativa – From plant genome to humans. Plant Science, 284, pp.67-72.
Caplan, D., Dixon, M. and Zheng, Y., 2019. Increasing inflorescence dry weight and cannabinoid content in medical cannabis using controlled drought stress. HortScience, 54(5), pp.964-969.
Chandra, S., Lata, H. and ElSohly, M.A. eds., 2017. Cannabis sativa L.-botany and biotechnology. Springer.
DocMJ, n.d. Marijuana plant anatomy and life cycles. [online] Available at: https://docmj.com/marijuana-plant-anatomy-and-life-cycles/ [Accessed 30 December 2024].
Elsohly, M.A. and Slade, D., 2005. Chemical constituents of marijuana: the complex mixture of natural cannabinoids. Life sciences, 78(5), pp.539-548.
Huchelmann, A., Boutry, M. and Hachez, C., 2017. Plant glandular trichomes: natural cell factories of high biotechnological interest. Plant physiology, 175(1), pp.6-22.
Livingston, S.J., Quilichini, T.D., Booth, J.K., Wong, D.C., Rensing, K.H., Laflamme-Yonkman, J., Castellarin, S.D., Bohlmann, J., Page, J.E. and Samuels, A.L., 2020. Cannabis glandular trichomes alter morphology and metabolite content during flower maturation. The Plant Journal, 101(1), pp.37-56.
MÜV, n.d. Cannabis anatomy. [online] Available at: https://muvfl.com/post/cannabis-anatomy [Accessed 30 December 2024].
Small, E., 2015. Evolution and classification of Cannabis sativa (marijuana, hemp) in relation to human utilization. The Botanical Review, 81(3), pp.189-294.
Terpene Belt Farms, n.d. The anatomy of the cannabis plant: A simple breakdown. [online] Available at: https://terpenebeltfarms.com/blogs/the-anatomy-of-the-cannabis-plant-a-simple-breakdown/ [Accessed 30 December 2024].
THC Design, n.d. Cannabis plant anatomy. [online] Available at: https://thcdesign.com/blog/cannabis-plant-anatomy/ [Accessed 30 December 2024].
If You've Made It This Far...
This is at the end of every piece I write so if you've read something on here before, you know the crack.
If you've made it to the end of this piece, thank you. Seriously. You've taken the time to dive into a topic that has been hidden under layers of stigma for generations. That alone means you're part of a much needed change.
If something here made you pause or think differently, do this: talk about it. Bring it up with someone. Doesn't matter who, your friend, your dad, your physio, your colleague, whoever. Share what you learned, what surprised you, or even what you're still unsure about.
These chats, whether casual, deep, random or awkward, chip away at stigma, bit by bit. Not by preaching, but by just being honest in the moment.
It's about breaking the cycle of misinformation and fear that has held us back for far too long.
Every time we pass along accurate, balanced information, we take another step toward leaving this world a little better than we found it, for the next generation.
I also don't want people's lives affected negatively due to the social rules that surround this plant.
We owe it to them to get this right. To talk openly, without judgment or shame. To replace outdated myths with evidence and understanding.
Let's keep this conversation going x
With that, I'll leave you to it. You've got this. If you have learned something new, go tell someone haha
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