Everyone recognizes two parts of the cannabis plant; the signature five-frond leaf, and the cannabis seed. However, there is much more to the composition of the cannabis plant, and some of those parts aren’t easily recognizable to the untrained eye. The breakdown of the plant is important to understand, particularly if you’re trying to grow cannabis from seeds.
It’s important to be able to tell the difference between the sex of your plants, and also how it should be developing normally. This is the typical breakdown of the cannabis plant, from seed to flower.
Can you describe the appearance of a marijuana plant?
Many of the parts of the cannabis plant are the same as those found in other flowering plants. The huge, distinctive fan leaves of the cannabis plant grow at intervals throughout the length of the plant’s thin stems. Unique and complex structures, such as blazing orange hairs, sweet crystals, and hefty buds encased in small leaves, make the flowers of cannabis stand out.
A look at the marijuana plant’s life cycle
A marijuana plant goes through the following four phases:
- After three to ten days, the seed will begin to germinate and emerge from the earth.
- Two to three weeks after planting a seed, when the cotyledon leaves have emerged.
- The first three to sixteen weeks of a cannabis plant’s life are referred to as the plant’s vegetative stage, during which the plant develops its basic structure and leaves its bud and stems to grow.
- The bud-forming stage (8-11 weeks) of a weed plant.
Learn more about the growth phases of cannabis plants by reading on.
- Cannabis seeds
Cannabis seeds are generated by female plants and include both male and female genes. You can find seeds in both female and male on the OG Seeds official company page, also available in female only for easy growth. After seeds germinate, they begin to build a taproot, which eventually matures into the plant’s primary support system.
- Leaves of a cotyledon
Once a seed germinates, these leaves emerge as new shoots. Usually appearing in pairs, their presence indicates that your plant’s seeds germinated well and that it is on the path to a full and healthy growth.
- Cannabis Stem Cells
From the stem the roots spread out and eventually reach the ground. The taproot is the primary root that develops from a cannabis seed and is responsible for bringing nutrients, water, and air to the plant. Click here for more on cannabis seeds and how they’re regulated.
- Stem from a marijuana plant
A cannabis plant’s lateral branches are supported by the main stem, which rises vertically from the plant’s roots. The plant wouldn’t be able to stand without its sturdy stem. Typically, gardeners would “top” their plants by cutting off the stem at the fifth node. This encourages the plant to branch out and develop more bud sites.
- Branches
The main stem sends forth shoots, or branches, that bear the leaves and flowers. To increase the number of potential bud sites, cannabis plants are typically trained by having their branches topped.
- Node
Nodes are the points at which two branches or the main stem split apart. Certain nodes in a fan may support the development of leaves and buds, but not others. Cannabis plants have pre-flowers at their nodes, which indicate their sex. The “internodal spacing” of a plant is an excellent predictor of its eventual height, since it measures the distance between individual nodes.
- A leaf-like fan
The cannabis plant’s big, distinctive leaves are called “fan leaves.” They are used to absorb light for the plant, although they contain very little resin and are normally thrown away during the pruning process.
- Sugar twigs
Buds develop around tiny, resin-coated leaves known as sugar leaves. After the harvest, sugar leaves are often retained as “trim,” and they may be utilized in a variety of ways.
- Flowers
The cannabis flowers, sometimes referred to as “buds,” are the final product of your efforts. The psychoactive cannabinoids and medicinal terpenes (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ – PubMed (nih.gov)) are found inside them. Female cannabis plants produce just flowers, which are only used after drying.
- Cola
Tightly clustered buds are referred to as colas or “bud sites.” The plant’s primary cola, termed the apical bud, develops near the top. Lower branches generate smaller colas.
- Calyx and bract
The female reproductive organs are enclosed in a bract. They’re the most abundant source of cannabinoids in the plant and look like green teardrops with resin glands all over them. The calyx is the transparent covering above the ovule at the base of a flower that is protected by the bracts and is not visible to the naked eye.
- The ovum and the stigma
Stigmas are the bright, hair-like strands found in the pistil, which houses the flower’s reproductive organs. Male pollen is collected on the stigmas of female flowers.
The pistil’s stigmas are initially a bright white, but as the plant ages, they take on shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown. Although stigmas are crucial for reproduction, they contribute nothing to the aroma or flavor of the flower.
- Trichomes
Although cannabis buds are very little, the layer of crystal resin covering them is impossible to overlook. This substance is produced by glands that resemble transparent mushrooms and are found on the plant’s leaves, stems, and calyces.
And there you have it, the basic cannabis breakdown. With this knowledge, you can start your own crop from the seed up.
