Cannabis plant taxonomy
Full scientific classification
Scientific classification (variant) debate on different species
| Rank | Scientific Name and Common Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae – Plants |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division | Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
| Class | Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons |
| Subclass | Hamamelididae |
| Order | Urticales |
| Family | Cannabaceae – Hemp family |
| Genus | Cannabis L. – hemp |
| Species | Cannabis sativa L. – marijuana |
Cannabis (/ˈkænəbɪs/; Cán-na-bis) is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative varieties, Cannabis sativa,[1] Cannabis indica,[1] and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia.[2]
Cannabis is an erect annual herb with a dioecious breeding system, although monoecious plants exist. Wild and cultivated forms of cannabis are morphologically variable, resulting in confusion and controversy over the taxonomic organization of the genus (see [8] for review). Some authors have proposed a monotypic genus, C. sativa, while others have argued that Cannabis is composed of two species, Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica, and some have included a third species, Cannabis ruderalis, in the genus. In light of the taxonomic uncertainty, we use C. sativa to describe the plants analyzed in this study.