Page "Cannabis" Paragraph 3

Underside of Cannabis sativa leaf, showing diagnostic venationThe leaves have a peculiar and diagnostic venation pattern that enables persons poorly familiar with the plant to distinguish a Cannabis leaf from unrelated species that have confusingly similar leaves ( see illustration ).

As is common in serrated leaves, each serration has a central vein extending to its tip.

However, the serration vein originates from lower down the central vein of the leaflet, typically opposite to the position of, not the first notch down, but the next notch.

This means that on its way from the midrib of the leaflet to the point of the serration, the vein serving the tip of the serration passes close by the intervening notch.

Sometimes the vein will actually pass tangent to the notch, but often it will pass by at a small distance, and when that happens a spur vein ( occasionally a pair of such spur veins ) branches off and joins the leaf margin at the deepest point of the notch.

This venation pattern varies slightly among varieties, but in general it enables one to tell Cannabis leaves from superficially similar leaves without difficulty and without special equipment.

Tiny samples of Cannabis plants also can be identified with precision by microscopic examination of leaf cells and similar features, but that requires special expertise and equipment.