Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

MARIJUANA

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Cannabis sativa L.

Russell County, Kansas

Annual

Height: 2-13 feet (usually 4-6 feet)

Family: Cannabaceae - Hemp Family

Flowering Period: July, August, September

Also Called:

Indian hemp.

Stems:

Erect, simple or branched, stiff, rough, angled, minutely pubescent.

Leaves:

Lower opposite, upper mostly alternate, stalked, palmately compound; leaflets 5-11, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1.5 to 6.5 inches long, .1 to .8 inch wide, center leaflet longest, outer leaflets progressively shorter; surfaces rough above, pubescent below; margins toothed; tips tapering to points.

Inflorescences:

Panicle, narrow, staminate, terminal or clusters, small, spike-like, pistillate, in upper leaf axils.

Flowers:

Small, greenish; petals absent; staminate and pistillate flowers on separate plants (dioecious); staminate flowers on stalks; sepals 5, lanceolate to ovate, less than 1/6 inch long; pistillate flowers sessile, partially enclosed by sepal-like bracts.

Fruits:

Achene, nearly spherical, about 1/6 inch long, yellow to greenish-brown, 1-seeded; seeds oval, mottled brown.

Habitat:

Waste areas, ditches, pastures, low ground along streams, and roadsides; shaded and exposed sites; moist, fertile soils.

Distribution:

Throughout Kansas.

Origin:

Marijuana is native to Asia and has been cultivated for more than 8,000 years. It was introduced into the Great Plains during the 1880s and is now naturalized.

Forage Value:

No forage value for livestock. Quail, pheasants, songbirds, and small mammals eat the seeds.

Uses:

Marijuana was formerly grown for hemp fiber which was used in the production of rope, nets, and paper.

Comments:

Marijuana contains tetrahydrocannabinol, a chemical with narcotic properties. It has been declared a noxious weed in many states. The pollen of marijuana can cause allergy symptoms.

Marijuana