# Cannabis (*cannabis sativa*) Cannabis sativa is one of humanity's oldest and most versatile companion plants, revered for thousands of years across diverse cultures. As an annual herbaceous plant, it is renowned for its multi-purpose utility, yielding durable industrial hemp fibers, nutritious edible seeds, and complex secondary metabolites. This remarkable plant features a sophisticated chemical profile, producing over a hundred distinct cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, within its specialized glandular structures. In the wild, it grows vigorously, adapting to a wide range of climates from temperate zones to tropical regions. Its historical journey alongside human civilization has made it a global icon of botany, agriculture, and medicine, continuously shaping industries and sparking scientific curiosity worldwide. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Typically thrives in open, sun-drenched environments with well-drained, nutrient-rich soils, such as riparian zones, agricultural margins, and disturbed areas. ![Cannabis](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/148671703/medium.jpeg) Photo: Matt Berger, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/148671703) ## Appearance Cannabis sativa is easily recognized by its distinctive palmate leaves, which feature five to nine narrow, lance-shaped leaflets with sharply serrated margins. The plant can grow quite tall, reaching heights of up to several meters, with a sturdy, erect, and somewhat fibrous stem. The foliage is a rich, vibrant green, and the entire plant is covered in tiny, sticky glandular hairs called trichomes, which give it a crystalline sheen and a strong, aromatic scent. As a dioecious species, male plants produce loose, dangling clusters of small, pale-green flower buds, while female plants produce dense, tightly packed leafy spikes cradled in sticky green bracts. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Cannabaceae - **Genus:** Cannabis ## Interesting facts - Cannabis was used at Chernobyl to help clean up radioactive soil through a process called phytoremediation. - The oldest physical record of human cannabis use dates back over 2,500 years in western China, where it was utilized in ritual ceremonies. - Unlike many flowering plants, Cannabis is primarily wind-pollinated, relying on the breeze rather than insects to spread its pollen. ## Special abilities - **Phytoremediation Champion:** It can absorb and accumulate heavy metals and other toxins from contaminated soils, effectively cleaning the earth around its root system. - **Trichome Defense Network:** The plant produces a dense layer of glandular trichomes that secrete sticky resin and cannabinoids, deterring insect pests and protecting against UV radiation. - **Rapid Biomass Generation:** As a fast-growing annual, it can produce immense amounts of fibrous stalk in a single growing season, outcompeting many neighboring weeds for sunlight. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 100-500 cm - **Weight:** 0.1-3 kg - **Lifespan:** 1 years ## Diet & Feeding As a photosynthetic plant, it synthesizes its own organic compounds using sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil nutrients. - **Age differences:** Seedlings rely on cotyledon energy reserves before rapidly developing roots and leaves to transition to full autotrophic photosynthesis. - **Primary Foods:** Sunlight, Carbon dioxide, Water, Soil nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium - **Foraging Method:** Photosynthesis ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** European Corn Borer (*Ostrinia nubilalis*) — A common pest insect that feeds on the foliage and stalks of the plant. - **Eaten by:** [Northern Cardinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-cardinal) (*Cardinalis cardinalis*) — Provides a food source for seed-eating birds during the late autumn and winter. - **Parasite:** Powdery Mildew (*Podosphaera macularis*) — A parasitic fungus that causes powdery mildew on the leaves, impacting plant health. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Cannabis? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Cannabis? 100-500 cm ### How much does Cannabis weigh? 0.1-3 kg ### How long does Cannabis live? 1 years ### What does Cannabis eat? As a photosynthetic plant, it synthesizes its own organic compounds using sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil nutrients. ### Where is Cannabis usually found? Typically thrives in open, sun-drenched environments with well-drained, nutrient-rich soils, such as riparian zones, agricultural margins, and disturbed areas. ### How does Cannabis hunt? Photosynthesis ## Where to spot - [Morrill County Courthouse](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/morrill-county-courthouse) — Nebraska, US · Historic Site ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Cannabis: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cannabis)