Why Are Marijuana Buds & Nugs Called Flower?
Because the buds ARE marijuana flowers.
If you’re satisfied, stop reading. But if your curiosity about cannabis is as insatiable as ours is at BADGRAMM3R, let’s learn more!
What is Cannabis Flower? What is Bud?
It’s common to associate “flower” as beautiful structures with colorful petals forming intricate designs at the end of long green stems. These are the kind of flowers that can be purchased at any florist in Wasilla, AK as congratulations, condolences, or merciful pleas of forgiveness for exceptionally bad behavior. But in the botanical world, these are only a fraction of the flowers that exist.
Flowers are defined as the “seed-bearing part of a plant.” They are the section of the plant that is responsible for reproduction. In cannabis, the “bud” of the female plant is where seeds would form IF it were allowed. This marijuana bud is the weed ‘flower’ that we all know and love.
Marijuana Plants Have Genders?
Yep! Just like people. And, like people, the males are far less desirable and better left at home until they are needed.
In the cannabis world, the males produce pollen. When the pollen is transferred to the female plant via insect pollination, indirect contact or a gust of wind, the female is prompted to grow seeds. In nature, these seeds are eaten by animals and spread through their poo to propagate more cannabis plants.
The female cannabis plant produces infinitely more cannabinoids than males. As such, producers of fine marijuana will only grow female cannabis plants with no seeds (known as sensimilla) while males are often discarded or avoided altogether.
Why Wouldn’t You Allow Seeds To Form?
You’ll never find seeds in any of the high-quality recreational marijuana in the Mat-Su Borough or beyond. Seeds require quite a bit of energy from the plant to grow; energy that could be used to create more trichomes, thus more cannabinoids and a more potent flower. Seeds are also a pain in the butt to pull out of cured buds and extremely harsh if smoked accidentally.
Males are segregated carefully from females to avoid fertilizing smokable buds and forming seeds. In fact, they are often kept as far away from a grow operation as possible. Don’t feel bad; the male plants aren’t completely useless. Males are great fathers, and essential for breeding quality genetics. Thus, seed banks often prize them. But, since the best Wasilla dispensary focuses only on producing the best smoke, we let the males stay in the lower 48.
Since legalization, the marijuana industry needed a way to differentiate between different products. We now refer to “marijuana” as just about any product that contains cannabis or cannabis extracts. Vape oil, edibles, tinctures, topicals, hash…these are all familiarly referred to as “pot,” “smoke,” “cannabis,” “marijuana,” etc. If you walk into BADGRAMM3R and ask for “flower”, we will know exactly what you mean.
Weed, Flower, Bud, Marijuana — it’s all the same!