Plant · GBIF taxon 5361880
Cannabis
Cannabis sativaAlso known as Hemp, True Hemp, Marijuana
Cannabis sativa grows as a tall, upright annual herb with distinctive palmately compound leaves featuring finely serrated leaflets. Wind-pollinated male flowers produce abundant airborne pollen, while female plants bear dense clusters of resinous flowers rich in specialized secondary metabolites. Originating in East Asia, this adaptable plant has spread globally through human cultivation for fiber, seed oil, and aromatic resins.
AnnualHerbaceousWind-Pollinated
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Soil Nitrogen
- Water
Predators
- Spider Mites
- Aphids
- Caterpillars
ThreatsHabitat clearing, agricultural weed control, rogue harvesting
HabitatsDisturbed ground, river valleys, agricultural lands, ruderal edges
Life spanAnnual (under 1 year)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderRosales
- FamilyCannabaceae
- GenusCannabis
- SpeciesCannabis sativa
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Ingestion can cause toxicity in pets, and airborne pollen triggers common seasonal allergies.
- Why it is dangerous
- Produces psychoactive cannabinoids such as THC, which cause severe neurological and digestive toxicity if ingested by domestic pets.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Look for tall green stalks with palmately divided leaves consisting of 5 to 9 narrow, saw-toothed leaflets.
- What to do
- Keep plants entirely out of reach of domestic pets to prevent accidental ingestion.
Responsible observation
- Leaf Structure: Examine the upper leaves to notice how their arrangement shifts from opposite to alternate.
- Wind Pollination: Observe male plants releasing cloud-like puffs of pollen from small greenish hanging flowers.
Close Relative (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Family Member (c) Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Family Member Forest & Kim Starr / CC BY 3.0 · cc-by
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