NORML4Cali
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Aug-26-2005
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Message #4760 posted by NORML4Cali (Info) August 26, 2005 23:25:38 ET
Hemp received its scientific name in the latter half of the eighteenth
century. In 1753, Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who classified nearly
every living thing, dubbed the plant Cannabis Sativa. He placed the species
in the small family known as Cannabinaceae, which includes only
cannabis and the hop plant, Humulus lupulus. In 1783, Lamarck, the man
whose infamy stems from his incorrect hypotheses about evolution,
Highlights in the History of Cannabis 13
sought to distinguish the hemp plants of Europe from those in India. He
suggested a separate species native to India, Cannabis Indica, known for
its shorter stature and greater quantity of resin. Much later, in 1924, a
team of Russian botanists identified Cannabis ruderalis, a third species
shorter than the other two. Whether all these types are variations on one
plant or serve as separate species remains hotly debated even today
(Schultes, Klein, Plowman, & Lockwood, 1975).
Indicas originally come from the hash producing countries of the world like Afghanistan, Morocco, and Tibet. They are short dense plants, with broad leaves and often grow a darker green. After flowering starts they will be mature in 6 to 8 weeks. The buds will be thick and dense, with flavors and aromas ranging from pungent skunk to sweet and fruity. The smoke from an Indica is generally a body type stone, relaxing and laid back. Indicas higher CBD than THC equals a much heavier, sleepy type of high. Indica plants have a heavy, stony high that is relaxing and can help different medical problems.
Indica yield is usually higher than Sativa, and shorter growing season. Better for indoor growing, because they don't get as tall.
Indica plants are short, bushy, mature early, have more chlorophyll and less accessory pigments (accessory pigments protect the plant from excessive sunlight). As Indica strains have more chlorophyll than Sativa they grow and mature faster.
The spread of Cannabis through the world was wide and varied this amazing plant adapted to almost any environment and produced an amazing talent to fit into its surroundings.
The plants China cultivated in a domestic setting, Grew shorter, well fed and tended to their only productive function left as the species existed. Was oil production. The Chinese seeing the wonders qualities of brother and sister plant. Encouraged this development between them. The area of China most conducive to the growth of the oil producing variety near India. The Indica border. Was especially prosperous at this art. Moving more into Japan and Korea. Cut off from Europe was this strain.
Cannabis eventually spread from China to India. By 1400 B.C., the
sacred Indian text Atharvaveda listed marijuana as a holy plant that could
relieve stress. Given Hindu sanctions against the consumption of alcohol,
cannabis remained one of the few substances appropriate for alleviating
anxiety in this culture. The plant’s notorious drying of mucous membranes,
such as the “cotton mouth” reported by contemporary users, led
the ancient Indian healer Sushruta to prescribe it for congestion. Sushruta
also recommended the drug for fevers or inflammation of the mucous
Highlights in the History of Cannabis 11
membranes (Aldrich, 1997). Other healers of India prescribed it successfully
for coughs and asthma, and unsuccessfully for leprosy and dandruff
(Nahas, 1990).
Yet the brother traveled far, growing wild. Big seeds drawing birds to help its march into a more favorable environment.
Blowing across the open steeps into Russia. Cannabis Sativa the Industrial hemp as we know it I believe would have grown taller, the better to spread its seeds into the wind and out grow the grasses souring it. Stronger, the wind and the driving weather conditions would demand that of it. With longer skinnier leaves, also reducing the # of leaves between the species to 5. Instead of the Indica variety known to have 7 to 9 leaves up to 12. Upon reaching Russia, This was known to Europeans as C. Sativa. Adapting to the extreme conditions was the main force in this species driving it to reproduce strong healthy seeds, and a longer growing season. To insure their survival. Less attention on this strain to produce the oils, dust and wind would have blocked the dirt choking off sunlight to the leaves. Still of the same Species Parents, C. Sativa would have retained the genetic structure way down to produce oils again. Like hank Williams Jr. It’s just a Family Tradition.
No matter the Name Cannabis is King of the Useful plants. Distant relations such as flax hops. Cross breeds among common Species with Cannabis.
Fleming, M. P. and R. C. Clarke 1998. Physical evidence for the antiquity of Cannabis Sativa L. (Cannabaceae). Journal of the International Hemp Association 5(2): 80-92. Cannabis has been an important economic crop plant for six millennia. Its uses for fiber, food, oil, medicine, and as a recreational/religious drug have been prevalent throughout this period. Recent palynological research into the agricultural and environmental history of Cannabis has produced curves for Cannabaceae pollen at a number of sites in Europe and America. Additional archaeological remains and written records provide evidence for both Old and New World occurrences.
Upon landing in the new world many explorers are cited as referring to Hemp Wild hemp. Hempen like. I say you try to identify the plant based upon your knowledge at the date. Like hemp only smaller leaves fatter more than hemp, they smoke it, use it like hemp. Clothes, Rope, food. I think I would akin it to this family. I would have to “LIKEN” it to hemp. Call it “HEMP LIKE?”.
Moving into a more temperate climate to the west of China as well. The original strain of this plant did not cross as far from China. Leaving it with a significant amount of the pure genes. This variety was closely related to the ones growing out on the Steepes. This migration left the variety producing THC the whole of its life.
Spreading across Mongolia forced the Plants on the Eastern Front to possibly interbreed with like Plants of its extended family. Producing a new chemical mix within its own resin and oils. Hops are used to produce beer. So too can Cannabis seeds. There are more similarities than differences between the hemp and oil producing Cannabis linked to every useful productive plant man has ever employed. Cannabis seems to have the ability to not only match those plants abilities, it goes them one better. No matter its use. Personally I see Cannabis as the only plant man ever needed on the face of this planet. No scarring the Earth Holes dug for oil, coal, gas, even metals. Everything a human could need was placed in the soil before him. Taking only a season to provide itself for use. Then renewed again and again adapting with man as he needed it to, only serve his uses.
However with the influx of C. Sativa into the Landscape the pollen intermingling would have caused. A sever disruption in the oil production. Huge amount of hybridizing was occurring in the Cannabis population now. Traveled and diversified around the world. Both the east and western varieties clashed again on new soil. Thus are the reports of some of the C. Sativa being smoked, some not, some only textiles. Possibly it was an experiment to see what would happen if the plants combined again. Most likely it was accident in the mad rush to grab as much land as a country could at that time. The Dutch, France and England all fighting over this country, add in a few Indians, and marooned individuals and anything could happen. Seeds form all 3 countries cross pollinated to such a degree that reports often find “undetermined results” especially here in the United States of the “ditch weed” and “wild” varieties found today.
Cite US report file Gov. 1950 reports file 5
Combining the two species seemed to be the thing to do. Taller textile producing plants, plus the benefit of medicine all in one shot. Seemed too good not to try. Americas Fore Fathers, Fore Fathers did just this.
Explaining the cross species found in American wild hemp even today. Seed direct from Europe was pollinated directly into a medicinal Indica strain forcing an upheaval in the genetic pool.
In 1600’s the Dutch sent hemp seeds, as did England hoping to capitalize on an already known environment of hemp production.
The Naturally occurring hemp of the new world was described as being
Like C Sativa only smaller, bushier, 4 foot rope lengths were common then. That’s about the size of the Sativa Indica grown in the East. This leads me to believe that the Cannabis plant flourishing here was a strain of the Indica Variety. Only very much kept to the Orient as its original source.
With these lush conditions even today. Cannabis aka Hemp grows with great flourish. Even the USDA says so. Any seed from the Orient near this time in the American colony of Virginia would have gone wild.
NORML4Cali
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