Rainbow In Your Hands: Cannabis Colours Explained

Cannabis is a mystery plant — the variety of traits that it exhibits keeps surprising scientists, industry, and consumers. Along with an infinite amount of flavors and characteristics, marijuana plants also vary in color. Here’s a little guide for 50 shades of cannabis.

What Makes Weed Colourful?

Young plants are mostly green, with a bunch shades of it — from light green to deep emerald. However, when plants begin to mature, new colors appear in both leaves and buds. There are factors that may influence cannabis color:

All these variable can impact the pigmentation of the plant to some degree. As a result, we have a bunch of colorful plants that deliver both aesthetics and beautiful effects.

Colours of Cannabis

Green

Green is the primary color of most plants on the planet. The cause of “greenness” is the presence of chlorophyll, the pigment that absorbs sunlight. In turn, it results in photosynthesis, through which plants combine carbon dioxide and water to create sugars that they consume to maintain life. The richer the green, the more chlorophyll in the plant. Lower temperatures, however, inhibit chlorophyll production which leads to emerging of colorful cannabis. The same happens with the trees when summer turns to autumn.

Blue, Purple, Red, and Pink

Buds in purple shades are high in anthocyanin. This group of chemicals consists of more than 500 types, with colors that can vary from red to purple to blue. The color usually emerges when plants begin to mature.

Anthocyanin belongs to flavonoids and possesses antioxidant properties. You can find anthocyanin in blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and so on — so you get where the color comes from.

Orange and Yellow

Shades of yellow come from carotenoids that are the group of pigments created by plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. More than 750 carotenoids are identified, and the group includes beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein among others.

The body converts some carotenoids into Vitamin A, which is essential for eye health and overall functioning of the body.

Carotenoids produce yellow, orange, and red hues. You can see that if you take a look at carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. However, many flavonoids can also influence the color. For example, nitrogen deficiency during growth can cause cannabis leaves to appear yellowish.

White

Buds that reach their maximum potential can be covered with trichomes to the degree where they appear to be white. These trichomes are full of cannabinoids and terpenes and, as a result, quite potent.

The Bottom Line (And a Couple of Words About Potency)

Though color can be aesthetically pleasing, it is not an indicator of potency. Only white buds with an overwhelming amount of trichomes can guarantee higher potency. However, if you consume cannabis as tinctures, edibles, or capsules, you benefit from the chemicals that bring the color itself. So to say that color is just a cool feature is an understatement because it still helps your well-being in a beautiful and bright way.

This post is based on this material.

(Sweedsy in no way encourages illegal activity and would like to remind its readers that marijuana usage continues to be an offense under Federal Law, regardless of state marijuana laws. To learn more, click here.)