BOTANICAL TERMS - HOW THEY RELATE TO CANNABIS

[acespicoli]

Im writing this thread as a consensus on terminology related to cannabis.
Just to kick things off im adding a vauge generic description from the wiki to get things going in the right direction

Description​

Cannabis is an annual, dioecious, flowering herb. The leaves are palmately compound or digitate, with serrate leaflets.[14] The first pair of leaves usually have a single leaflet, the number gradually increasing up to a maximum of about thirteen leaflets per leaf (usually seven or nine), depending on variety and growing conditions. At the top of a flowering plant, this number again diminishes to a single leaflet per leaf. The lower leaf pairs usually occur in an opposite leaf arrangement and the upper leaf pairs in an alternate arrangement on the main stem of a mature plant.

The leaves have a peculiar and diagnostic venation pattern (which varies slightly among varieties) that allows for easy identification of cannabis leaves from unrelated species with similar leaves. As is common in serrated leaves, each serration has a central vein extending to its tip, but in cannabis this originates from lower down the central vein of the leaflet, typically opposite to the position of the second notch down. This means that on its way from the midrib of the leaflet to the point of the serration, the vein serving the tip of the serration passes close by the intervening notch. Sometimes the vein will pass tangentially to the notch, but often will pass by at a small distance; when the latter happens a spur vein (or occasionally two) branches off and joins the leaf margin at the deepest point of the notch. Tiny samples of Cannabis also can be identified with precision by microscopic examination of leaf cells and similar features, requiring special equipment and expertise.[15]

Cannabis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Glossary of botanical terms - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Glossary of leaf morphology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

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Three theories of classification for Cannabis. From left to right, monotypic with three subspecies (A), polytypic consisting of up to three species (B), and single phenotypically diverse species (C).

Cannabis Systematics at the Levels of Family, Genus, and Species​

Author: John M. McPartland
Publication: Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2018.0039
Table 1. Some Early Plant Families into Which Cannabis and Humulus Have Been Classified, Listed Chronologically

Author (date)	Family name (and subfamily limited to Cannabis and Humulus if designated)	Number of genera in family (and subfamily where designated) now classified in Cannabaceae-Urticaceae-Moraceae-Celtidaceae-other, with percentage accuracy
Adanson (1763)5	Castaneaceae Section III	2-2-4-1-2, 82%
Linnaeus (1764)6	Scabridae	2-3-3-1-4, 69%
Lamarck (1788)7	Figuiers (Moraceae) Section II	2-4-0-0-1, 86%
de Jussieu (1789)8	Urticae Section II	2-7-2-0-2, 85%
Batsch (1802)9	Scabridae	2-7-5-0-5, 74%
(section Exalbuminosa)	(2-0-0-0-0, 100%)
Martynov (1820)10	Cannabaceae	2-0-0-0-0, 100%
Blume (1825)11	Urticeae	1-3-7-1-5, 71%
(section Cannabineae)	(1-0-0-0-0, 100%)
Gaudichaud-Beaupré (1826)12	Urticeae	2-26-10-1-9, 81%
(section Cannabineae)	(2-0-0-0-0, 100%)
Nees von Esenbeck et al. (1835)13	Urticaceae	2-2-2-1-1, 88%
(tribe Cannabinae)	(2-0-0-0-0, 100%)
Lindley (1836)14	Urticaceae	2-27-18-0-15, 76%
(subfam. Cannabineae)	(2-0-0-0-0, 100%)
Endlicher (1837)15	Cannabineae	2-0-0-0-0, 100%
Lindley (1846)16	Cannabinaceae	2-0-0-0-0, 100%
Bentham and Hooker (1880)17	Urticaceae	2-44-48-8-8, 97%
(tribe Cannabineae)	(2-0-0-0-0, 100%)
Engler and Prantl (1889)18	Moraceae	2-6-46-0-0, 100%
(subfam. Cannaboideae)	(2-0-0-0-0, 100%)
Cronquist (1968)19	Cannabaceae	2-0-0-0-0, 100%
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2003)1	Cannabaceae	2-0-0-0-8, 100%

We should discuss this and there are varied views... each no less than the other in merit
We should strive to list all relevant models

References

References 1. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II. Bot J Linn Soc. 2003;141:399–436. Crossref Google Scholar 2. McPartland JM, Cubeta MA. New species, combinations, host associations and loc...

docs.google.com

Small et at. A Practical and Natural Taxonomy for Cannabis.pdf

drive.google.com

GROUP_2003_Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.pdf

drive.google.com

A classification of endangered high-THC cannabis (Cannabis sativa subsp. indica) domesticates and their wild relatives John M. McPartland1,2, Ernest Small3.pdf

drive.google.com

 

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Morphological characters​

Approximately 1,100 herbarium specimens were examined, at 15 herbaria, designated by herbarium acronyms in Index Herbariorum (Suppl. material 1: SF.4). Additionally, we extracted morphological data from CGEs that compared Central and South Asian germplasm collected in the previous century (e.g., Vavilov and Bukinich 1929, Small et al. 1976, Anderson 1980, de Meijer 1994, Hillig 2005b). We also drew on morphological data from archaeobotanical studies. In the spirit of open access, extracted morphological data are provided in Suppl. material 1: SF.8, permitting readers to synthesize the raw data for themselves. CGE studies provided data often absent in herbarium specimens, such as plant height, internode length, stalk thickness, and branch angle or divarication.
Branch angle or divarication measured the angle, in degrees, that a branch came off the vertical shoot; it generally ranged between 35° to 85° from vertical. Branch angle may be a function of internode length, which was also assessed. Branch flexibility is a qualitative measure of the ability of a branch to bend or droop without snapping. Flexibility likely reflects the ratio of bast fiber (flexible) to wood fiber (inflexible). Leaf morphology was assessed in “fan leaves” (i.e. larger palmately compound leaves) near the base of inflorescences. The sampled leaves conformed to the concept of 1st order branching off the main shoot, as presented by Spitzer-Rimon et al. (2019). Central leaflet length/width ratio (L/W) is expressed as a quotient. Leaflet shape was either lanceolate (the widest part is less than midway down the length of the leaflet from its base), or oblanceolate (where the widest location is more than half way down the length). This was measured as the distance to the widest point (WP) divided by the entire length (WP/L). A leaflet with WP/L > 0.5 is oblanceolate (Anderson 1980).
The perigonal bract (also called bracteole, perigonium, or inappropriately “calyx”) is the floral bract enclosing the female flower and later the achene (Small 2015). Inflorescence density was qualitatively assessed using the “perigonal bract-to-leaf index” (i.e., the “calyx-to-leaf ratio,” Clarke 1981). Inflorescences with a low index have a predominance of leaf material – interstitial “sugar leaves” (relatively small leaves with few leaflets occurring in the inflorescence) between clusters, subtending 2nd order to 7th order branchlets (Spitzer-Rimon et al. 2019). A low index is associated, in part, with short internode length and broad leaflet width.
The density of capitate-stalked glandular trichomes (CSGTs) was qualitatively assessed (i.e. visually evaluated) on perigonal bracts. CSGT density was mentioned by Christison (1850) in one of the first CGEs that compared C. sativa (Scottish hemp) and C. indica (Indian gunjuh). He noted that C. indica inflorescences felt resinous when touched, “Floral leaves, bracts, and perianth covered with glandular pubescence.” He also noted that C. indica leaves produced “both sessile glands and glandular hairs [CSGTs].” CSGT density on sugar leaves was also qualitatively assessed, based on the method by Potter (2009).
As used here, the “fruit” includes the achene and its more or less adherent perianth. In female flowers of Cannabis, the perianth does not produce a corolla, but instead adheres to the exocarp (outermost layer of the achene wall). Dimensions and appearance of the fruit were assessed.
For each herbarium specimen, a standardized form was used to record specimen label data (collector name, date, location, annotations) and morphological data. During the course of this study, morphological characters were added (e.g., branch angle, inflorescence density, CSGT density), necessitating return visits to some herbaria (BM, ECON, GH, IND, K). Morphological data were synthesized qualitatively (e.g., branch flexibility, leaf color, inflorescence density, CSGT density, perianth adherence), or quantitatively (e.g., plant height, internode length, leaflet L/W and WP/L ratios, achene size). Quantitative data provided bracket measurements for each described taxon.

A classification of endangered high-THC cannabis (Cannabis sativa subsp. indica) domesticates and their wild relatives

Two kinds of drug-type Cannabis gained layman’s terms in the 1980s. “Sativa” had origins in South Asia (India), with early historical dissemination to Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas. “Indica” had origins in Central Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkestan). We have assigned unambiguous...

phytokeys.pensoft.net

 

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Key to four varieties of C. sativa subsp. indica1​

1.	Plants usually with a THC/CBD ratio ≥7; terpenoid profile usually lacks sesquiterpene alcohols, fresh aroma often pleasant. Plants ≥ 2 m tall in good habitats; branches flexible, diverging from the shoot at a relatively acute angle (<45° from vertical). Fresh leaves medium green in color; central leaflets narrow (length/width usually >6), lanceolate to linear-lanceolate; margins with fine to coarse serrations, sometimes biserrate. Mature female inflorescence somewhat compact (flowering stems producing small to medium “buds”), with relatively obscure sugar leaves (a high perigonal bract-to-leaf index); sugar leaves with capitate-stalked glandular trichomes (CSGTs) usually limited to the proximal half of the leaves; perigonal bracts express a moderate to high density of CSGTs. Mature achene exocarp color (beneath the perianth) often green-brown.
A	THC/CBD ratio always ≥7, often much more. Mature achenes usually ≥ 3.6 mm long (Fig. 3e, f); perianth mostly sloughed off, but often persistent in places (appearing as irregular spots or stripes); exposed exocarp exhibiting prominent venation; lacking a prominent protuberant base; not readily disarticulating from plant	var. indica (“Sativa” in the historical sense2)
B	THC/CBD ratio usually ≥7, sometimes less. Mature achenes usually <3.6 mm long (Fig. 3g, h); perianth persistent (covering exocarp and its venation), with strong pigmentation in a mottled or striped pattern; with a protuberant base; readily disarticulating from plant	var. himalayensis
2.	Plants with a THC/CBD ratio <7; terpenoid profile includes sesquiterpene alcohols, fresh aroma often acrid or “skunky.” Plants < 2 m tall in good habitats, and often ca. 1 m; branches not flexible, branching sometimes nearly 90° from the stalk axis, producing a menorah-shaped habitus. Fresh leaves dark green in color, leaflets of larger leaves sometimes overlap; central leaflets broad (length/width usually <6), often oblanceolate; margins with coarse serrations, rarely biserrate. Mature female inflorescence compact (flowering stems producing medium to large “buds”) with prominent sugar leaves (a low perigonal bract-to-leaf index); sugar leaves have CSGTs extending more than half way down their length; perigonal bracts densely covered with CSGTs. Mature achene exocarp color (beneath the perianth) often a lighter shade of olive green to gray.
A	THC/CBD ratio <7 (almost always >2). Mature achenes usually ≥ 3.6 mm long (Fig. 3a, b); perianth mostly sloughed off (appearing as irregular spots or stripes); exposed exocarp exhibiting prominent venation; lacking a prominent protuberant base; not disarticulating from plant, and often trapped in the dense inflorescence	var. afghanica (“Indica” in the historical sense2)
B	THC/CBD ratio often <2. Mature achenes usually < 3.6 mm long (Fig. 3c, d); perianth persistent (covering exocarp and its venation), with strong pigmentation in a mottled or striped pattern; with a protuberant base; readily disarticulating from plant	var. asperrima
1 As emphasized in the text, the differences presented here represent unhybridized plants, before extensive recent hybridization between them.
2 Historically, as discussed in the text, “Sativa” formerly represented landraces of South Asian heritage, and “Indica” formerly represented Central Asian landraces. This key is not intended for the identification of “Sativa” and “Indica” strains commercially available today.

A classification of endangered high-THC cannabis (Cannabis sativa subsp. indica) domesticates and their wild relatives

Two kinds of drug-type Cannabis gained layman’s terms in the 1980s. “Sativa” had origins in South Asia (India), with early historical dissemination to Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas. “Indica” had origins in Central Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkestan). We have assigned unambiguous...

doi.org