A Sativa plant is a type of cannabis characterized by distinct visual attributes. Understanding these features can help in identification, from overall growth patterns to the appearance of their leaves and flowers.
Overall Plant Structure
Sativa plants typically exhibit a tall and slender growth pattern, often reaching significant heights. Outdoors, these plants can grow several meters tall, sometimes exceeding 10 feet (3 meters). Their branches tend to be widely spaced and less dense, contributing to a more open, lanky appearance. The stem of a Sativa plant is often more fibrous than woody, and it continues to elongate throughout its life cycle, even into the flowering period.
Leaf Characteristics
The leaves of a Sativa plant are notably long and slender, often described as finger-like. A single fan leaf can have between 7 and 13 leaflets, which are thin and spread out. These leaves typically present a lighter green hue, which is partly due to Sativa plants using less chlorophyll during their vegetative cycle compared to other cannabis types.
Flower Appearance
Sativa flowers, also known as buds, tend to have a less dense and more airy or wispy structure. They are often elongated and can appear somewhat spear-shaped or cylindrical. These flowers develop along the stems, contributing to their looser formation. Sativa buds generally have a visible frosty coating of these resinous glands.
Distinguishing Sativa from Indica
Visually differentiating Sativa from Indica plants involves observing key characteristics across their structure, leaves, and flowers. Sativa plants are generally much taller and more slender, with a loosely branched and open structure. In contrast, Indica plants are typically shorter, bushier, and have a more compact growth habit, often not exceeding 6 feet (2 meters) outdoors.
Regarding their foliage, Sativa leaves are characterized by their long, narrow, and delicate leaflets, often numbering more than those found on Indica plants. Sativa leaves also tend to be a lighter shade of green. Conversely, Indica leaves are broad, wide, and usually a darker shade of green, with fewer leaflets per fan leaf, commonly between 7 and 9.
Sativa buds are typically less dense, more elongated, and have an airy or fluffy texture. They may form “foxtails” where calyxes stack upon each other. Indica buds, however, are known for being tightly packed, chunky, and notably denser. These visual distinctions provide a helpful way to identify Sativa plants based on their physical traits.