Cannabis ruderalis

Cannabis ruderalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Cannabaceae
Genus:	Cannabis
Species:	C. ruderalis
Binomial name
Cannabis ruderalis Janisch.

Cannabis ruderalis is a putative species of Cannabis originating in central Asia. It flowers earlier than C. indica or C. sativa, does not grow as tall, and can withstand much harsher climates than either of them. Cannabis ruderalis is purported to go into budding based strictly on age and not on changes in length of daylight.^{[citation needed]} This kind of flowering is also known as auto-flowering.^[1]

Sativa, Indica and Ruderalis are all species of the genus cannabis. They can all inter-breed freely, and many 'pedigree' cultivars are indica/sativa hybrids. Authorities disagree about the number of species of plant which constitute the genus Cannabis. Although many authorities continue to class all varieties of the plant, including Hemp and Marijuana, as Cannabis sativa, it is widely accepted that there are three separate species or sub-species: C.sativa being most widely cultivated in the Western World, was originally grown on an industrial scale for fibre, oil, and animal feedstuffs, is characterised by tall growth with few, widely-spaced, branches; Cannabis indica, originating in south Asia, and also known historically as Indian Hemp, was cultivated for the drug content, with shorter bushy plants giving a much greater yield per unit height; Cannabis ruderalis is a hardier variety grown in the northern Himalayas and southern states of the former Soviet Union, having a more sparse "weedy" growth, and is rarely cultivated for the drug content .

Cannabis ruderalis has a lower THC content than either C. sativa or C. indica; thus, it has little recreational use. However, C. indica strains are frequently cross-bred with C. ruderalis to produce plants combining a higher THC content with the hardiness and reduced height of ruderalis.^{[citation needed]}

The term 'Ruderalis' was originally used in the former Soviet Union to describe the varieties of hemp that had escaped cultivation and adapted to the surrounding region.^{[citation needed]}

Similar Ruderalis populations can be found in most of the areas where hemp cultivation was once prevalent. The most notable region in North America is the midwest, though populations occur sporadically throughout the United States and Canada. Big wild ruderalis plantations also reigning in the center and eastern Europe, most of them in Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia and around of these countries. Without human intervention, these plants have lost many of the traits they were originally selected for, and have acclimatized to their locale.^{[citation needed]}

Though they contain little THC, these plants hold large potential for use in breeding, both in hemp and marijuana applications. Early flowering and resistance to locally significant insect and disease pressures are but a few of the important traits present in these feral populations.^{[citation needed]}

Despite years of US government sponsored eradication programs, these wild plants still remain in bountiful abundance.^{[citation needed]}

New breeders have undertaken hybrid projects to breed a higher in THC ruderalis/autoflowering plant.

References

1. ^ Greg Green. 2005. The Cannabis Breeder’s Bible. Green Candy Press 14

• Cannabis Ruderalis/Auto flowering cannabis information