Achene
Definition
The one-seeded fruit of Cannabis, commonly called the seed in casual usage. Its reticulate surface pattern and ovoid shape are species-level identifying features that survive long after other diagnostic tissue has degraded.
- Common name
- Cannabis seed
- Botanical type
- One-seeded dry fruit
- Key features
- Reticulate surface pattern, ovoid shape
- Durability
- Survives after other diagnostic tissue degrades
- Identification level
- Species
Common questions
Why is the achene useful when other plant material has decomposed?+
Its hard outer coat resists degradation far longer than leaf or stem tissue, so a recovered achene can still carry identifiable surface markings after the rest of the plant material has broken down or been destroyed.
Can an achene alone confirm the cannabis is a controlled variety?+
The achene confirms genus and species level identity through its shape and surface pattern, but distinguishing controlled psychoactive cultivars from low-THC hemp varieties needs chemical analysis, not seed morphology alone.
Related terms
- Capitate-Sessile Trichome
- A smaller glandular trichome sitting directly on the epidermal surface without a stalk. Found across leaf surfaces and young stems and also...
- Capitate-Stalked Trichome
- A glandular secretory trichome with a multicellular stalk and a large secretory head densely concentrated on female flower bracts. The primary site...
- Cystolith Hair
- A non-glandular, hook-shaped unicellular trichome in Cannabis that contains a calcium carbonate deposit (cystolith) in its base. Visible under low magnification, it...
- Hemp vs Drug-Type Distinction
- Both are Cannabis sativa. The legal distinction is chemical: hemp is defined by jurisdictions as plants or products containing delta-9-THC below a...
- Serrate Leaf Margin
- The saw-toothed edge of a Cannabis leaflet, with pointed teeth that point toward the leaf tip. Counting and characterising teeth per centimetre...