INTRO:

Cannabis ruderalis is a low THC species of Cannabis which is native to Central/Eastern Europe and Russia. It is widely debated as to whether or not ruderalis is a sub-species of Cannabis Sativa. Many Scholars accept ruderalis as it's own species due to it's unique traits and phenotypes which distinguish it from Cannabis Indica and C. Sativa.

ETYMOLOGY:

Cannabis Ruderalis was first discovered by Russian botanist D. E. Janischevsky in 1924. The term ruderalis is derived from the Latin rūdera, which is the plural form of rūdus, a Latin word meaning rubble, lump, or rough piece of bronze. A ruderal species refers to any plant that is the first to colonize land after a disturbance removing competition.

Cannabis ruderalis is typically smaller than C. Indica and C. Sativa, and rarely grows over two feet in height. Ruderalis plants have "thin, slightly fibrous stems" with little branching. Foliage is typically open with large leaves. Ruderalis reaches maturity much quicker than other species of Cannabis, typically in five to seven weeks.

Cannabis ruderalis will produce flowers based on its age, rather than light cycle, unlike flowering in C. sativa and C. indica varieties.[1] This kind of flowering is also known as "autoflowering".[2]

*Unlike other species of cannabis, Cannabis Ruderalis enters the flowering stage based on the maturity of the plant, rather than the light cycle.[1] In C. sativa and C. indica varities, it is possible to keep a plant in the vegetative species indefinitely. C. ruderalis however, will not. Cannabis geneticists today refer to this feature as auto-flowering.

weeks. The plants have a "thin, slightly fibrous stem" with little branching. Foliage is open with large leaves.

Cannabis ruderalis will produce flowers based on its age, rather than light cycle, unlike flowering in C. sativa and C. indica varieties.This kind of flowering is also known as "autoflowering".

It has less THC in its resin compared to other Cannabis species. However, it is often high in cannabidiol (CBD).

Genetic History:

It is widely disputed as to whether or not C. ruderalis is it's own species, or rather a subspecies of C. Sativa. C. ruderalis was classified in 1924 by D. E. Janischevsky, noting the visible differences in seed, shape and size from previously classified Cannabis sativa. It's possible that ruderalis might represent feral types of cannabis which occupy regions farther north in latitude. Chemotaxanomic analysis reveals that C. ruderalis is shown to have similar average THC + CBD levels to the feral biotype of C. Sativa. However, these numbers are not that different from average THC + CBD levels the hemp biotype of C. sativa. The study conducted by Karl W. Hillig and Paul G. Mahlberg does not support evidence that ruderalis is it's own species because there was no significant difference found between Central-European and Asian ruderal accessions. This supports the longstanding theory proposed by Vavilov that ruderalis is in fact a sub-species of C. Sativa. Many other scientists however, do accept C. ruderalis its own species due to it's unique environment as well as it's specific traits and phenotypes.

"Hillig (2004)⇓ used allozyme allele frequencies (excluding BD and BT) to determine that most of the 157 accessions in the Cannabis collection under study derive from two major gene pools that correspond (more or less) to previous circumscriptions of C. indica and C. sativa. The most common allele at each locus was the same for both gene pools, but significantly differed in frequency for 10 of the 17 loci surveyed. All but six accessions were assigned to the indica or sativa gene pool. Six ruderal accessions from central Asia were tentatively assigned to a third ruderalis gene pool. All of the 157 accessions were also assigned to various taxa in accord with previous taxonomic treatments and tested for goodness of fit to the genetic data. Based on these results, a working hypothesis for a taxonomic circumscription of the Cannabis germplasm"

Sawler, Jason; Stout, Jake M.; Gardner, Kyle M.; Hudson, Darryl; Vidmar, John; Butler, Laura; Page, Jonathan E.; Myles, Sean (2015-08-26). "The Genetic Structure of Marijuana and Hemp". PLOS ONE10 (8): e0133292. 

Janischevsky, 

The high CBD found in Cannabis Ruderalis makes it valued in medical cannabis cultivation.

Cannabis Ruderalis will grow in disturbed soil. Ruderal plant species are considered weeds. They quickly emerge in areas where the environment is too poor in quality to sustain other species. Because of this Cannabis Ruderalis typically grows near or close to human populations.

Ruderalis is useful because it 1. Matures quickly 2. Is short an manageable to grow indoors. 3. Useful for creating strains high in CBD

A systematic investigation of Cannabis Hillig, Karl William. Indiana University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2005. 3162973

Cannabis and Culture Vera Rubin

Proposed edits for cannabis ruderalis:

Morphology:

Typcially grows between 1-2 feet with sparse branching.

Uses:

cannabis ruderalis has little to no recreational value due to it's extremely low thc content. However, c. ruderalis is widely used by breeders and growers. Because cannabis ruderalis flower to in accordance to their age as opposed to by phototropic measures, C. Ruderalis is used to create "auto-flowering" species of cannabis. Which exhibit C. ruderalis' ability to automatically flower when the plant reaches a certain maturity,

If possible learn more about the pharmacology of C. Ruderalis....

  1. ^ a b Rosenthal, Ed. "Flowering Ruderalis". Cannabis Culture Magazine. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  2. ^ Green, Greg (2005). The Cannabis Breeder's Bible: The Definitive Guide to Marijuana Genetics, Cannabis Botany and Creating Strains for the Seed Market. Green Candy Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1931160278.