Yo, what’s good my fellow herb enthusiasts? Today, we’re gonna talk about the different species of the ganja plant. Now, if you’re not familiar with the lingo, we’re talking about Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. The first word “Cannabis” is just the name of the plant family, while the second word specifies the exact species (C. sativa, C. indica, C. ruderalis).
Now, if we wanna get technical with it, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), cannabis belongs to the Rosales Order, Magnoliopside Class, Tracheophyta Phylum, and the Plantae Kingdom. But let’s not get too scientific here.
We’re gonna focus on the fam of the ganja plant, which is called Cannabaceae Family. It’s made up of 11 different genera and several hundred subspecies. So here are some other plants that are related to our beloved Mary Jane:
1 – Hemp
This one’s a no-brainer. Hemp is a subspecies of the C. sativa species and it’s known for its high CBD content. In 2018, they made it federally legal to grow hemp in the U.S., which is great news for all you CBD sellers out there. But remember, it has to contain less than 0.3% THC.
Now, a lot of people get confused between hemp and weed because they use those terms interchangeably. But here’s the deal: weed can belong to any of the subspecies (indica, sativa or ruderalis), while hemp strictly belongs to C. sativa. Physically speaking, hemp has skinnier leaves mainly near the top unlike weed which has broader leaves and dense buds.
2 – Hops
The hop plant, known as Humulus lupulus, is another relative of weed that’s used to make beer. It has many medical benefits such as reducing anxiety, digestive problems, and inflammation. Hops contain alpha acids like humulene which, as you may know, is a terpenoid like the ones found in weed such as beta-humulene and alpha-pinene.
3 – Hackberry
This tree is part of the Cannabaceae family but don’t get it twisted, it’s way different from the ganja plant. It’s known for having flexible wood that you can use to create furniture. The hackberry tree is the biggest species in the family and can reach up to 100 feet tall. You can find it in North America, as well as Eastern Europe countries like Serbia and Slovakia. It produces edible berries that are high in protein, fat, and carbs.
4 – Blue Sandalwood
This tree grows in China and is part of the Pteroceltis genus. It’s used for timber and paper making in China and traditional medicine practices utilize oil extracted from the seeds to combat flu or cold.
5 – Trema Orientalis
This tree is part of the Cannabaceae family and also known as Indian charcoal tree. It produces black fruits and leaves that are safe to eat. Like hemp, Trema orientalis can improve soil quality by acting as a bio-accumulator.
So there you have it folks, these are just a few plants related to our beloved Mary Jane. It’s crazy to think how special this plant truly is when you dive into its classification system. Along with the five mentioned above, marijuana is part of the Cannabaceae family which also includes Gironniera, Lozanella, and Aphananthe.
And if we take it a step further down the ITIS classification system, we’ll find out that the Cannabaceae family is part of the Urticales order which also includes plants like elm, mulberry, and nettle. So in a way, our ganja plant is related to all of them. But let’s be real, they’re not as cool as our Mary Jane.
So that’s it for today’s lesson on the different species related to weed. Stay lit, stay educated. Peace out!