Cannabis

Plant Characteristics
Lifespan:	⌛	annual
Origin:	✈	C & S Asia

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
Water:	◍	moderate

Scientific Names
Cannabaceae >	Cannabis >

Read about Cannabis in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Cannabis sativa Cannabis (the ancient Greek name). Moraceae. Hemp. A widely cultivated fiber plant, and also used occasionally as an ornamental subject, being grown from seeds and treated as a half-hardy annual. Hemp is dioecious: staminate fls. in axillary panicles, with 5 sepals and 5 drooping stamens and no petals; pistillate fls. in short spikes, with 1 sepal folding about the ovary: lvs. digitate, with 5-7 nearly linear, coarse- toothed lfts.: fr. a hard and brittle achene. C. sativa, Linn., probably native in Cent. Asia, is now escaped in many parts of the world: tall, rough and strong- smelling, 8-12 ft.: lfts. 5-11, linear-lanceolate, toothed, the upper lvs. alternate and the others more or less opposite. Only one species, but various forms have received specific names. In gardens, the form known as C. gigantea is commonest; this reaches a height of 10 ft. and more. The seeds are usually sown where the plants are to stand; but if quick effects are wanted, they may be started indoors in pots or boxes. Hemp makes excellent screens in remote places. It thrives best in a rich rather moist soil. C. bicolor, Lem. Distinguished from the above by the entire lvs. which are shorter, about 1 in. long, and the solitary fls. with a short, yellow tube, the limb not fringed. The fls. droop, but not vertically. Peru. B.M. 4729. F.S. 4:343. Probably less desirable than the above.—C. pyrifolia Juss. Lvs. generally broader and more toothed than in C. bicolor: fls. as many as 17, in an erect, terminal, compound corymb; calyx red-tipped, nearly half as long as the yellow corolla-tube; corolla about 1 ¼ in. long, with a white limb; stamens long, exserted. Peru.^CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.