Knowing the anatomy of your plants will help you to understand the whole process and therefore obtain better results.
Anatomy of a cannabis plant. In this article we are going to briefly describe the different parts of the plant and their function.
Roots
Cannabis plants develop roots beneath the substratum that absorb nutrients and anchor it in place. The primary roots are large and are meant to anchor the plant to the soil. It is their only function. A large tap roots develops a system of smaller secondary roots whose function is distributing water, minerals, and other nutrients to the rest of the cannabis plant. These roots are the most important.
Main Stalk
The main stalk is the vertical support of the cannabis plant. The stalk and stems also carry and store water and nutrients obtained from the root system.
Leaf Nodes
The nodes are those points that the stalk develops and are the place where new leaf branches will be generated.
Fan Leaves
Cannabis plants have distinct, fan-shaped leaves whose purpose is to facilitate the photosynthesis process. T hey have between 3-9 serrated “fingers” each. Fan leaves always grow in pairs from the stalk and branches and consist of a stalk (petiole), flesh (mesophyll), and veins, which contain xylem and phloem.
Phloem
The phloem function is transporting sugars generated through photosynthesis from the fan leaves to the rest of the plant.
Xylem
The function of xylem is moving the minerals and water from the roots to other parts of the plant.
Flowers
Flowers are the reproductive organs of a cannabis plant, and they have the highest concentrations of cannabinoids, the compounds of marijuana. The anatomy of a cannabis flower depends on the sex of the plant. Remember there are male, female and hermaphrodite.
Calyx
Calyxes are the small sepals that make up the flowers on the plant; they can have many shapes, sizes, and colors. It depends on each variety.
Pistil and Stigma
Pistils with a sticky stigma at the end emerge from within each calyx. Their function is to catch pollen from male plants. Pollination triggers the ovule placed within each calyx and create a new seed. Many growers call them the “hairs” of female cannabis plants. Pistils first appear white, but they turn to red, and brown as the flower grows older.
Stamen and Anther
Stamens are the thin stalks tipped with an anther (which releases pollen) that only male cannabis plants can produce.
Trichomes
Trichomes are the glands of resin that form on cannabis flowers. The trichomes contain cannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds.
