The cannabis flower is a pretty amazing miracle of nature. The flower itself, when examined closely, has intricate and beautiful knotting of buds, colors, hairs, crystals, and tiny tear-drop leaves. These unique flowers consist of a complex web of parts — but what is the role of each of the parts of a cannabis flower? Many cannabis consumers most likely will not see the cannabis plant in its full glory before they get their hands on clipped and packaged buds at the dispensary. We have created this guide to help familiarize enthusiasts with the true anatomy of cannabis flower and to bring you closer to your favorite strain’s true self.
Cannabis plants can be male or female and can also be hermaphroditic (both sexes and able to reproduce on their own), but what you end up buying at the dispensary are always female flowers.
The female cannabis plants are the only type that produces the full, fluffy bud flowers that you typically think of, while male plants are barer and are only responsible for pollination.
Once the male plants are able to pollinate the female, this initiates seed production and is what leads to the birth of female plants.
Females are seedless and are the only type to produce the flower-laden plants that contain buds full of the cannabinoids you love.
Hermaphroditic plants are actually a pain for growers, as they do not result in consumable cannabis. The self-pollination process spoils seedless plants and passes on useless genes.
Growers can ensure the sex of their plants by growing clones or using genetically identical clippings from a parent strain.
Feminized seeds are also easily created through a special breeding process that growers utilize to improve the yield of the most favorable types of plant.
The cannabis flower is an iconic plant with some very unique and identifiable structures. The flowers fan out from a long, thin stem from a point on the flower called the node.
The most distinctive features of the cannabis plant come in the many variations of the flowers that females produce.
One little-known area of the plant is the cola. These are clusters of buds that grow tightly together and are what’s eventually clipped from the plant for consumption.
These fruitful clusters are most often found towards the top of the plant, with less desirable colas found closer to the bottom.
Colas are only found on female plants and are what create the buds of the plant that make them so indistinguishable. The buds within these colas are what can come in many different colors and characteristics based on the genetics of the parents.
The pistil of the plant is where the reproductive functions of the plant are carried out, while the stigma contains the characteristic hairs of the cannabis plant.
The stigmas start out as white, and once they collect the pollen from the males, they begin to change colors to orange, brown, and then red over the course of the growth of the plant. These parts of the plant are important for reproduction but don’t really play a role in the taste or potency of the bud.
The bract is what houses the female’s reproductive parts. These are the green, tear-shaped “leaves” that are a standout feature of cannabis plants.
They are heavily covered in resin glands and actually produce the highest concentration of cannabinoids of any other parts of the plant., The calyx is enclosed by these and actually cannot be seen by the naked eye.
Learning about the anatomy of a cannabis plant is a great way to get more in touch with how these plants work and what allowed them to end up in your stash jar.
The way cannabis flowers reproduce and grow is a very interesting process, and the variety of different flowers is almost endless, with new strains popping up all the time.
We hope this guide helped to familiarize you with cannabis plants and further your appreciation of this special plant.
Pure Oasis is Boston’s original recreational dispensary. Their team takes pride in offering friendly customer service and extensive knowledge of their wide array of cannabis products.
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