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Dense field of industrial hemp plants with green, serrated leaves stretching to the horizon under an overcast sky.
Hemp Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) plantation.

cannabis

plant
Also known as: Cannabis
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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Taxonomy cannabis, (genus Cannabis), genus of 1–3 species of aromatic flowering plants cultivated for fiber, oilseed, medicinal preparations, and psychoactive products. Native to Central Asia, cannabis is now grown worldwide in a range of forms adapted for different uses. The taxonomy of the group is contentious, with many botanists holding that the genus comprises a single species, Cannabis sativa. Cannabis plants are typically grown as hemp, which is a source of fiber and other industrial...

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