Flower

Marijuana Flower

Flower is the part of the plant that is smoked or cooked and contains the plant’s THC-A. The interesting thing about the term flower is that it is not an actual flower. This unusual organ of the plant is almost like the fruit because it contains seeds. However, unlike fruit, it is not covered in a skin and it does not hang from branches. It grows at the top of the stalks and can be picked but needs to be dried (through a curing process) and clipped so it is free of leaves. Drugin curing, the aroma and consistency of the flower is improved. The process of trimming leaves off of the flower is done either by machines or workers called trimmers. Flower appears like a spongy green moss but can be fluffy or firm depending on the plant and strain. It contains high amounts of THC-A that can be extracted into concentrates. By itself, however, it is used most often by grinding into small pieces and then smoked.

Interestingly, the real flowers of Cannabis sativa have small yellow petals and are located on the male plant. We will use the term flower to refer to the THC-A containing part of the plant described above since this is the most common term for it. This part of the plant is made up of smaller anatomical pieces called calyxes that have tiny hairs protruding, called stigma. The stigma can be white, red, orange, and occasionally purple. On the surface of the calyx are tiny mushroom-shaped hairs called trichomes that are clear and contain the highest percentage of THC-A. Trichomes make marijuana look like it has little crystals or sugar on the surface when inspected very closely. The flower is sometimes sticky to the touch.