The Three Species of the Cannabis Plant

It is often believed and perceived that cannabis and hemp are exactly the same. Still others think that they are different, so there is an ongoing debate as to the hemp versus cannabis which is fueled by certain confusion surrounding the cannabis plant. It is a complex subject, which takes into account several factors, such as genetics, botany, language and law.

Industrial hemp and cannabis come from the same part of the flowering cannabis plant. This part is known as the genus in the scientific, classification system. The genus refers to the sub type of plants, as opposed to a single species. This translates to multiple types of the cannabis plant, which are all called cannabis, but which have notable differences. In scientific terms, many species of the plant can exist in the same genus, and this is true of cannabis.

The cannabis genus sub type is believed to be comprised of three distinct species of the cannabis plant. These are called: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and Cannabis Ruderalis. The first one, Cannabis forma sativa, is the most common strain of the cannabis plant. It has long been cultivated for various uses. These include the production of oil from the cannabis seeds, food, medicinal purposes, recreation and hemp fiber for clothing and rope. The second species of the cannabis plant is Cannabis, forma Ruderalis. This is the rarest of the three types, and is native to Russia. Its name refers to the color of its leaves, and is derived from the Latin root meaning red. This plant flowers earlier and is able to withstand harsher growing conditions than either the sativa or indica strains. The consistency of the plant is harder than either sativa or indica, but it also has fewer cannabinoids, since it contains less THC than either sativa or indica. The third sub type of the cannabis plant is Cannabis forma indica. It was first discovered in India, and is shorter than sativa, with bigger leaves. Some scientists still doubt that it is its own distinct species of cannabis.

Cannabis Ruderalis has the lowest concentration of THC, while cannabis sativa has more THC than CBD. In contrast, indica has higher levels of CBD than THC.