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PL THE PLANT
A cannabis plant consists of roots, a main stem that branches at nodes, fan leaves, and flowers built from bracts and calyces, coated in trichomes that hold nearly all its cannabinoids and terpenes. Knowing the parts makes every other topic easier. From root to flower, each part of the cannabis plant has a job, and a few of them, the flowers and their trichomes, are where nearly all the value sits. This is the map.
The vegetative body
The roots anchor the plant and take up water and nutrients. The main stem carries them up and holds the plant upright, branching at each node, the point where leaves and side-shoots emerge.
Fan leaves are the large, iconic palmate leaves that do most of the photosynthesis. They carry little resin and are usually trimmed away after harvest.
The flower
Cannabis is normally dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate plants. The female flower is the part people harvest. A dense collection of flowers is called a cola.
Each flower is built from a bract and calyx, small tear-shaped structures packed with resin glands, from which two hair-like pistils (stigmas) protrude to catch pollen. The pistils shift from white to orange-brown as the flower matures.
Where the chemistry lives
Coating the bracts and sugar leaves are trichomes, tiny mushroom-shaped glands that produce and hold almost all of the plant’s cannabinoids and terpenes. They are the reason the flower is valuable, and they get their own page.
Part by part
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Glandular Trichome Ultrastructure, Perigonal Bract Density, and Stem Bast Fibers
Cryo-scanning and transmission electron microscopy of female Cannabis sativa inflorescences distinguish three glandular trichome morphotypes: bulbous, capitate-sessile, and capitate-stalked trichomes (Livingston et al., 2020, PubMed PMID 31696994). During floral maturation, capitate-stalked trichomes on the perigonal bracts develop a multicellular secretory disc of 12 to 16 polarized cells topped by a pressurized subcuticular storage cavity where cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is cyclized into THCA or CBDA alongside volatile monoterpenes (Livingston et al., 2020, PubMed PMID 31696994; Spitzer-Rimon et al., 2019, PubMed PMID 30949187). In the vegetative stem, a vascular cambium separates outer phloem-derived primary and secondary bast fibers (rich in crystalline cellulose) from the inner lignified xylem core (hurd) (Andre et al., 2016, PubMed PMID 26869959).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which part of the cannabis plant contains the highest concentration of cannabinoids?
The perigonal bracts (often called calyxes) surrounding the female ovule carry the densest layer of capitate-stalked glandular trichomes and therefore contain the highest concentration of THCA, CBDA, and terpenes, followed by the small subtending sugar leaves.
Do fan leaves and stems produce meaningful amounts of THC or CBD?
Large fan leaves bear mostly non-glandular cystolith hairs and sparse sessile trichomes (typically under 1% to 2% cannabinoids), while stalks and roots contain virtually no THCA or CBDA.
What is the difference between bast fibers and hurd inside a cannabis stem?
Bast fibers form in the outer phloem cortex and provide long, tensile cellulose strands used for textiles and cordage, whereas the inner hurd (shives) is the short-fibered, woody xylem core used for hemcrete and animal bedding.
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