Cannabis 101 – The Cannabis Plant (The Sacrament)
Understanding the basic components of the cannabis plant can help you understand its effects.
My Fair Lady
Like with most plants, there are male and female cannabis plants. Both produce pre-flowers, but only female and hermaphroditic plants fully blossom.
The flowering tip of the female plant, often called the bud, is the part harvested for consumption because it contains the highest concentration of cannabinoids, the chemical compound that produces the effects of cannabis.
Fan Leaf: While the cannabis leaf has become the symbol of cannabis, they only produce trace amounts of cannabinoids.
Threes Company
Cola: A cluster of buds on a female plant. They usually grow so closely together that they appear to be one large bud. This is where the highest concentration of cannabinoids is found. The topmost cluster of buds is called the main cola or apical bud.
Bracts: Small tear-shaped leaves that encapsulate the plant’s ovary (which contains its seeds). Some growers refer to the bract formation as the “seed pod.” Others refer to the bract formation as “sugar leaves” because of their white trichomes (see below).
Calyx: A collection of cells that form part of the perianth — a delicate, translucent veil that partially encloses the seeds.
Trichomes: Mushroom-shaped glands found on the cannabis plant’s leaves, stems and calyxes. Trichomes secrete resin, THC , CBD, and terpenes.
Trichomes on Trichomes
Pistil: These are the female plant’s reproductive parts. The pistil’s most important feature is the coloured hairs (called stigmas) that emerge from the ovule and can be seen shooting out from the bracts and ovaries. The stigmas collect pollen from the male plant to produce seeds. While the colour of the stigmas can be visually appealing, these have little to no bearing on the effect.
If you are planning to grow your own cannabis, the seeds that you order online should be feminized to ensure flowering and juicy buds. Beware, if you have male and female plants in the same area, they may end up sexing each other, which will result in your female plant producing seeds rather than potent buds.
Now let’s burn one and honour the Sacrament!
