Talk:Cannabis

An entry such as this always makes me question the intentions of this project - is it to list ALL plant names or jsut the ones representing "true" (ie for me monophyletic and recognisable) species? Most botanists I have had the discussion of Cannabis with agrees that there is only one species within the genus - Cannabis sativa - eventhough it is a variable one... Any answers?

You are correct and this page is out of date according to accepted thought. However, there is not universal agreement as to circumscription with some favouring one species, others two and as here three. WS should adopt a conservative approach an favour a single species with three subspecies. As this plant has been subject to breeding for millennia differences between hemp and marijuana strains are more than likely to be artificial rather than natural (Small, 2015). Andyboorman (talk) 19:24, 11 December 2018 (UTC)

 Done but there is a move to a circumscription that eliminates all subspecies and varieties due to the virtual impossibility in deciding what is a natural and what is anthropogenic. Differences in THC and CBD subspecies are clearly defined in chemistry, but can be explained by millennia of selective breeding and cultivation. The distinct morphology of the weedy ruderal variety is likely to be due to once cultivated genotypes coping with competition from abiotic factors, vegetation and predation outside of cultivation. Andyboorman (talk) 20:39, 8 August 2019 (UTC)

Today sativa and indica is used to describe different drug chemotypes. Sativa is used to describe the high feeling and indica is used to describe the stoned feeling. Ruderalis is used to describe that an autoflowering variety was used in the breeding project. Autoflowering is a recessive trait but the term is generally used only to describe a plant that flower in an artificial environment with light on 24/7. Outdoor the trait is more complicated to define because the sun do not shine 24/7 south of the arctic circle so a short-day plant may be called ruderalis or be mistaken for an autoflowering plant if it is a short-day plant that flower early. Typically the short-day plants used in drug cultivation need around 10 hour of darkness to induce flowering so plants that only need around 8 hour or less has been called early flowering. Such a plant may be falsely identified as autoflowering if grown outdoor at southern latitude where days are short early in the season. The original botanical terminology has become a standard terminology. Indica,sativa,skunk,haze etc. was originally botanical terminology but is now used to describe chemotypes, grow traits like leaf form, yield, resistance to cold and humid climate, medicinal properties, time from induced flower to harvest and more.

The most conservative botanical terminology is: Only one species Cannabis sativa L. No clearly recognised subspecies. Many varieties named and unnamed. It is still debated if the varieties are varieties, subspecies or species. Hopefully the information was useful to someone.Skalle-Per Hedenhös (talk) 01:29, 21 October 2019 (UTC)