THE HISTORY OF CANNABIS IN CANADA
Page 3: Cannabis sexes, varieties and subspecies.
When grown for pulp and fibre, cannabis is usually grown close together - this encourages it to grow tall with few branches. Hermaphrodite varieties are often used to ensure the plants are uniform height. The crop is usually harvested before the plants go to flower, so few resinous trichomes are produced.1
When growing for seed or flowers, shorter, bushier varieties of cannabis are grown. Females produce dense, resinous floral clusters which become laden with seeds once fertilized by the taller male plants.1
When the male plants are culled, the females will produce buds of floral clusters with no seeds. This is called "sensimilla" - meaning "without seeds" - and is the standard for all commercial marijuana today.2
Scientifically, all cannabis is the same species: C. Sativa L. Biologists continue to debate3 the number and names of various cannabis subspecies, but the standard division is usually into Cannabis sativa sativa, Cannabis sativa indica and Cannabis sativa ruderalis.4
Indica: 4 to 9 feet tall. Bushy structure, broad leaves, shorter flowering cycle. Large, dense buds. Main commercial use is for seed oil. From more northern regions. Almost all smoked bud in Canada comes from Indica strains.5
Sativa: 12 to 18 feet tall. Tree-like structure, thinner leaves, longer flowering cycle. Long, wispy buds. From more equatorial regions. Main commercial use is for pulp and fibre.5
Ruderalis: Wild cannabis, 2 to 4 feet tall. Very short flowering cycle. Not used commercially.6 7
FOOTNOTES
1. Book: Hemp Bound, by Doug Fine, p.83, Dougfine.com, 2014
http://www.hemp-technologies.com/page83/page83.html
2. Book: The Sinsemilla Technique, by Kayo, Last Gasp, 2015
https://books.google.ca/books?id=yFF-AAAACAAJ
3. Book: Marijuana Botany, by Robert Clarke, p.157, Ronin Publishing, 1981
http://books.google.ca/books?id=_aK7dTNS1qkC
4. Book: Marijuana Grower's Handbook, by Ed Rosenthal, Quick American Publishing, 2010, https://books.google.ca/books?id=lLYBNnmlnfMC
5. Book: Marijuana Smoker's Guidebook, by Matt Mernagh, Green Candy Press, 2013
https://www.amazon.ca/Marijuana-Smokers-Guidebook-Identify-Strains/dp/1937866068
6. Article: Flowering Ruderalis, by Ed Rosenthal, Cannabis Culture, 2003
https://web.archive.org/web/20090907162141/http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/articles/2847.html
7. Article: The Return of Ruderalis, by DMT, Cannabis Culture, 2003
https://web.archive.org/web/20060313220124/http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/3033.html