ABSTRACT
Cannabis sativa is an extraordinary, multipurpose plant. Its stem produces a durable ber for textiles and many other applications, its reproductive parts (§owers and fruits) provide intoxicating drugs, and its edible seeds are the source of a multipurpose oil. However, varieties that are useful for producing ber and oil are quite different from intoxicant varieties. This annual species, originally from Eurasia, varies greatly in appearance, depending on variety and how it is cultivated. Plants taller than 6 m (20 ft.) have often been recorded, although typically cultivated plants range from 1 to 4 m (3 to 13 ft.) in height. The sexes are separated on different plants, except for certain cultivated varieties in which male and female §owers occur on the same plant. Male plants are taller but more delicate in appearance, and they die after shedding their pollen.
