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Cannabaceae
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Common hop Hemp Stinkwood tree
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Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous
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Common hop
Common hop Leaves and flowers of common hop (Humulus lupulus).

Cannabaceae

plant family
Also known as: hemp family
Written by
Melissa Petruzzello
Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,...
Melissa Petruzzello
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Cannabaceae, the hemp family (order Rosales), containing 10 genera and about 170 species of plants. Its members are distributed nearly worldwide, many occurring throughout temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The family includes economically and culturally significant genera such as Cannabis (hemp and marijuana) and Humulus (hops), the latter widely used in brewing.

Physical description

Hemp
HempCultivated hemp (Cannabis sativa) leaves.

Members of the family are erect or climbing plants, including trees, lianas (woody vines), and herbaceous plants. The leaves are borne oppositely or in spirals and are often palmately lobed or compound. The plants are commonly dioecious, meaning that individuals are either male or female. The flowers are petal-less, and the dry one-seeded fruits are usually achenes or samaras.

Major genera and species

Stinkwood tree
Stinkwood treeWhite stinkwood tree (Celtis africana) along the Olifants River in South Africa.

Cannabis, with 1–3 species, and hops (Humulus), with 3 species, are the most economically important members of the family. Cannabis sativa is a widely cultivated for the production of hemp fiber and edible hemp seeds, and the female plants of certain varieties are prized as the more abundant source of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient of marijuana. The hops used in the brewing industry are the dried female flower clusters (sometimes called cones) of the common hop (H. lupulus). The Japanese hop (H. japonicus) is a quick-growing annual species used as a screening vine.

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Britannica Quiz
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous

The genus Celtis, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, contains about 70 species of trees, some of which are grown as ornamentals. The genus Trema, closely related to Celtis, comprises about 40 species of small evergreen trees. Small genera include Aphananthe, Chaetachme, Gironniera, Lozanella, and Pterocletis; the taxonomy of Parasponia is contentious and it is frequently placed within Trema. Older authorities included the two genera Cannabis and Humulus in the mulberry family (Moraceae), but these and the former hackberry family (Celtidaceae) are now included in Cannabaceae.

Melissa Petruzzello