The pot plant is an ALIEN plant. There is physical evidence that cannabis is not like any other plant on this planet. One could conclude that it was brought here for the benefit of humanity. Hemp is the ONLY plant where the males appear one way and the females appear very different, physically! No one ever speaks of males and females in regard to the plant kingdom because plants do not show their sexes; except for cannabis. To determine what sex a certain, normal, Earthly plant is: You have to look internally, at its DNA. A male blade of grass (physically) looks exactly like a female blade of grass. The hemp plant has an intense sexuallity. Growers know to kill the males before they fertilize the females. Yes, folks...the most potent pot comes from 'horny females!
by Doug Yurchey
Let me first say it was a great informative article. Until, you mention that it is highly likely cannabis plant has alien attributes. Please I respect your opinion, and I do not deny the potential of alien life, but simple education of plants, plus a look at the genetic structure of the cannabis species will ensure that its origins are of planet Earth. Followed by a reconstruction of the plants history and evolution from a regular weed in the Himalayas, to a prospers distinguishably useful plant for mankind around the world.
Remember, it is best to use the explanation that makes the least assumption.
:MoreNutes: First of all the cannabis plant has been breed and selected to become what it is today, much like the common store bought banana (please look this up, if you are unaware of how we got the banana we all know and love, or many of the fruits and veggies.)
Sense your main argument has to deal with the sexuality of the cannabis plant, let me begin here...
First off, the most distinguishable is the physical differences in sex when comparing to other plants. Cannabis has been described as having one of the most complicated mechanisms of sex determination among the dioecious plants.
Cannabaceae is a small family of flowering plants. According to the Royal Botanical Gardens database, there are 170 species grouped in nine to fifteen genera, including three well-known genera Cannabis (hemp), Humulus (hops) and Celtis (hackberries).
Cannabis is predominantly dioecious, although many monoecious varieties have been described. Subdioecy (the occurrence of monoecious individuals and dioecious individuals within the same population) is widespread. Many populations have been described as sexually labile.
- Dioecious refers to a plant population having separate male and female plants. That is, no individual plant of the population produces both microgametophytes (pollen) and megagametophytes (ovules); individual plants are either male or female.[5] From Greek for "two households". [Individual plants are not called dioecious; they are either gynoecious (female plants) or androecious (male plants).]
- Androecious, plants producing male flowers only, produce pollen but no seeds, the male plants of a dioecious population.
- Gynoecious, plants producing female flowers only, produces seeds but no pollen, the female of a dioecious population. In some plant populations, all individuals are gynoecious with non sexual reproduction used to produce the next generation.
- Subdioecious, a tendency in some dioecious populations to produce monoecious plants. The population produces normally male or female plants but some are hermaphroditic, with female plants producing some male or hermaphroditic flowers or vice versa. The condition is thought to represent a transition between hermaphroditism and dioecy.[6]
- Gynomonoecious has both hermaphrodite and female structures.
- Andromonoecious has both hermaphrodite and male structures.
- Subandroecious has mostly male flowers, with a few female or hermaphrodite flowers.
- Subgynoecious has mostly female flowers, with a few male or hermaphrodite flowers.
Dioecious varieties are preferred for drug production, where typically the female flowers are used. Dioecious varieties are also preferred for textile fiber production, whereas monoecious varieties are preferred for pulp and paper production. It has been suggested that the presence of monoecy can be used to differentiate licit crops of monoecious hemp from illicit drug crops. However, the so-called "sativa" drug strains often produce monoecious individuals, probably as a result of inbreeding.
The difficulty relating cannabis with other plants is likely due to it being the oldest cultivated plant known, and as with other long cultivated plants they will show distinguishable difference from that of the natural plant ecosystem.
As with the store bought banana I referred to earlier can not be naturally grown because it is sterile, and it fully depends on human cultivation by vegetative cloning for survival.
Here is a very good article by 1stmarijuanagrowerspage.com on the possible evolution of the cannabis plant.
Origins and evolution of Marijuana seeds strains
The most popular theory of the evolution of cannabis is that all cannabis originated in the Himalayas and with human help spread gradually throughout the world. Under varying human and environmental pressures cannabis has evolved into all ends of the environmental spectrum from low THC long fibered hemp strains via high thc smaller and tough Indicas to big, tall bushes of mind twisting African Sativas. Those distinctive characteristics were reproduced in marijuana seeds for hundreds of generations B.C.
Latitude has definitely played a key role in this matter, influencing THC levels as well as ratios of THC to CBD. Most marijuana strains originate between 37° North and 35° South of the equator, with some of the highest quality marijuana seeds strains coming from very near the equator (most notable Southeast Asia at 10-20° North) where lots of sunlight energy and general plant competition made them differ and strenghten their species distinctive features like thc trichomes which are the plant protective sticky hair.
The evolution of the cannabis plant's unique trichome is debated. Most likely, the cannabis plant developed such large and numerous trichomes because it is a wind pollinated plant, and trichomes of THC are very sticky, thus aiding in pollen collection. This can be observed most effectively in female cannabis plants that have been deprived of male pollen. In order to increase her chances of fertilization via windborne pollen, the female cannabis plant devotes her energy into calyx and trichome production, creating larger, stickier buds.
However, the intercession of humans in the natural selection process has rapidly accelerated the favoring of genotypes that produce copious amounts of THC-laden trichomes with every new generation of cannabis seeds genetics. In addition, THC has very high UV-B absorption properties, thus cannabis evolution may have favored the evolution of genotypes that produced these THC laden capitate-stalked trichomes as a built in 'sun-screen' for protection against UV-B light rays.
As you get up into the more Northern latitudes (like Russia), cultivated and feral cannabis leans more towards the hemp end of the spectrum, with low THC and high CBD. This makes the job of maintaining marijuana seeds varieties outdoors at common North American latitudes of 44-50° North a little more complicated. Without selection for high THC parents, pure strain marijuana can drift towards phenotypes of its hempen cousins, just because it hasn't got as many natural insect enemiest to fight off with hair and thc resin and because in a low light environment a plant has to produce longer stem and more leaves to absorb precious light.
Put simply, as the latitude is not exerting pressure on the gene pool to uphold its high THC traits, human influence must step in by diligently selecting the most potent plants as seed parents for future generations. Legendary strains like bread outdoors in Alaska Matanuska Thunderfuck and Friesland Indica grown outdoors for Northern Holland are living proof that this high THC trait can be maintained at Northern latitudes if multiple strain lines are cared for and crossed for many marijuana seeds generations.
To achieve high thc content in colder climates open pollination and collecting seeds from many different plants then mixing them together, must be avoided, because such natural breeding techniques serve mainly for strain evolutionary acclimatization. Nothern strains need to be often crossed with higher thc strains and than acclimatized and inbreeded to achieve desired high thc levels.
DNA
Molecular analytical techniques developed in the late 20th century are being applied to questions of taxonomic classification. This has resulted in many reclassifications based on evolutionary systematics. Several studies of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and other types of genetic markers have been conducted on drug and fiber strains of Cannabis, primarily for plant breeding and forensic purposes. Dutch Cannabis researcher E.P.M. de Meijer and coworkers described some of their RAPD studies as showing an "extremely high" degree of genetic polymorphism between and within populations, suggesting a high degree of potential variation for selection, even in heavily selected hemp cultivars. They also commented that these analyses confirm the continuity of the Cannabis gene pool throughout the studied accessions, and provide further confirmation that the genus comprises a single species, although theirs was not a systematic study per se
Ref.
- Faeti, V., G. Mandolino, and P. Ranalli. 1996. Genetic diversity of Cannabis sativa germplasm based on RAPD markers. Plant Breeding 115: 367—370.
- Forapani, S., A. Carboni, C. Paoletti, V. M. Christiana Moliterni, P. Ranalli, and G. Mandolino. 2001. Comparison of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) varieties using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA markers. Crop Science 41: 1682—1689. Retrieved on 23 February 2007
- Mandolino, G. and Ranalli, P. 2002. The applications of molecular markers in genetics and breeding of hemp. Journal of Industrial Hemp 7(1): 7-23. Retrieved on 23 February 2007
- Gilmore, S., R. Peakall, and J. Robertson. 2007. Organelle DNA haplotypes reflect crop-use characteristics and geographic origins of Cannabis sativa. Forensic Science International 172(2-3): 179-190. Retrieved on 29 December 2008
- Etienne P. M. de Meijer, M. Bagatta, A. Carboni, P. Crucitti, V. M. Cristiana Moliterni, P. Ranalli, and G. Mandolino. 2003. The Inheritance of Chemical Phenotype in Cannabis sativa L. Genetics 163(1): 335-346. Retrieved on 23 February 2007
- Hillig, Karl William. 2005. A systematic investigation of Cannabis. Doctoral Dissertation. Department of Biology, Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana. Published by UMI. Retrieved on 23 February 2007
- 2005. Rasta lends its name to a third type of Cannabis. New Scientist 2517: 12. Retrieved on 24 February 2007
Ref.
I hope you respect my position, and possibly reconsider your position. I would like us to learn and always further investigate any new information available. So, if there is any you have that I apparently do not, please refer me to the information.
Thank you so much for the cannabis support and information you and the 420 Magazine has provided.
Thank YOU,
Dan Fouts
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