Hemp plants constitute one branch of the cannabis family, offering a unique set of qualities that make the plant one of the most useful to humans. A close relationship to marijuana gives hemp a convoluted name, though.
Even though hemp doesn’t contain significant amounts of THC, people might shy away from it and its products out of fear that they’ll get high. Without packaging, though, you might not be able to tell the difference between a hemp plant and any other form of cannabis.
What does a hemp plant look like?
We’re going to answer this question today, giving you some insight into hemp types and the way they look. Let’s get started.
1. Some Strains Look Identical
Out in the wild, you’d have a hard time distinguishing hemp from other forms of cannabis. They all have similar leaves, similar buds, stems, and sizes.
The most skilled eye would be able to tell the differences based on their experiences with these plants, but there would even be some indistinguishable plants for those experts.
2. Hemp is Taller
As industry cultivates hemp for its uses, though, they do so in a way that changes appearance significantly.
Hemp plants are a lot taller than cannabis plants, reaching nearly 20 feet in some cases. Someone who’s growing marijuana would likely never let their plant get that tall.
3. Skinnier Leaves
Hemp plants tend to have thinner leaves than other cannabis plants do. They’re arranged in the same iconic way, only without the thickness of cannabis leaves.
The difference isn’t extremely noticeable if you’re not familiar with both cannabis and hemp plants, though.
4. Leaves Toward the Top
A distinguishing factor of hemp is the fact that leaves tend to grow toward the top of the plant. Alternatively, cannabis leaves grow throughout the plant.
You’ll notice that different hemp types have leaves that congregate up high and the middle of the plant is more sparse.
5. Less Required Care
If you’re walking out on a trail and you see something that looks like cannabis, odds are that its hemp. If there’s no sign that someone is taking care of the plant, there’s a pretty small chance that its marijuana.
Hemp can spread and grow in diverse environments whereas cannabis needs a lot of attention and a specific environment. This makes hemp a great crop to grow for industrial purposes, but it also leads the plant to grow and multiply on the side of trails, in forests, fields, and other places where it’s not tended to.
You can learn more about making a hemp business of your own. Hemp is legal, it grows naturally in the United States climate, and there are thousands of applications for its use.
So, What Does a Hemp Plant Look Like?
What does a hemp plant look like in comparison to cannabis? A general rule of thumb is that it’s taller, thinner, and has leaves concentrated at the top.
Hopefully, our hemp guide was a useful introduction to hemp for beginners. There’s a lot more to learn, though, and we’re here to help. Explore our site for more ideas on hemp, cannabis, lifestyle tips, financial insights, and much more. You can also visit New Phase Blends.
