[VerdantGreen]

not just THC but the whole sticky contents of glandular trics

This is one ive wondered about for a while, many think it is a defense against sun/UV, but it is also produced on stems and underside of leaves. perhaps it is a defense against something else?

one hypothesis that ive always had and liked is that the resin is to attract insects for pollination - because although cannabis is wind pollinated, it would (like all wind pollinated plants) have evolved from insect pollinated plants.

EDIT - i should have said all wind pollinated angiosperms evolved from insect pollinated angiosperms (flowering plants) see later in thread



does anyone know or have any ideas or references ?

thanks,

VG

[gertnaerd]

hey man ,,,the resin helps the plant to struggel with different temperatures...in the night when it can get very cold ....the resin "blockstogether<" save the plant to not get very cold ...at daytimes...the resin builds up a bigger surface on the plant....and the heat gets in the resin not that much in the plantcells ....over 40degrees their is #degradation of the cells....so the resin protcts the plant....
have anice day ...sorry for the bad english ...i´m no native speaker...

[whodair]

cannabis produces resin to get us high !!! i also speculate its sunscreen for the plant ??

cheers !!

[Corpsey]

if it is for uv protection why do we not see it on all males?

[VerdantGreen]

thanks guys

gertnaerd - dont worry about your english, as for cold protection, how about tropical sativa's ?? they dont get cold at all. also cannabis is an annual.

whodair - i think sunscreen is what most would think but i'm not so sure that is not the whole story...

[bendoslendo]

You've prolly seen this one, but to name a few from this source: protection from dessication, insect predation and fungal/bacterial infection.

Chemical ecology of Cannabis
David W. Pate
International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007,
1070 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands

*note that info in this link pertaining to THC biosynthesis is outdated. CBD is not a biosynthetic precursor of THC.

[bendoslendo]

Originally Posted by yourcorpse

if it is for uv protection why do we not see it on all males?

Glandular trichomes are present on males, just not to the degree they are on females.

Males only need to reach maturation and splooge (sorry for the science jargon) into the air. Females are charged with the task of producing and incubating achenes (seeds).

[gertnaerd]

hey verdant ...i just mean the differences between night and day....as you know ,the cannabis in marocco for example,at day very heavy sunlight above 1500 m ,at night sometimes temperatures undere 10 degrees, i think in this case the resin is some kind of protection to the extrme climate,,,,perhaps the resin in the more tropical regions is some kind of protection to the humid climate.....but i think there has to be more than one solution...!? cannabis gets us high in so different ways,and such complex ways ...c`´mon there must be more ,ah welll i will read the link ...hehe

[Corpsey]

so a male with a higher ratio of trichomes would be superior to one with less then? by its act of protecting its pollen better.

I always see people say its intersex traits but others say it is a positive expression that is to be used in breeding programs. im talking about just the tirchs, not pistils.

[bigwity]

i noticed when i had thrips that they got stuck to trichs i think it protects the calyx and seed from insects. imo the extra coating protects the most important part of the leaf ie the base and stem, the leafy part can take a bit of damage without killing the leaf where as the formentioned would destroy the leaf if they got hurt

but all your suggestions are possible maybe its to attract humans, it certainly works lmao