"Cannabis Sativa" is a subspecies of cannabis.
subspecies are groups of similar genetic lines that all yield similar physical characteristics as well as biological makeup. in our case we call these individuals within a family or 'group' strains.
there are essentially 5 subspecies of cannabis, the three main ones being:
Cannabis subsp. sativa
Cannabis subsp. indica
and
Cannabis subsp. ruderalis
Cannabis sativas are plants that yield physical characteristics such as being taller, usually 7-18ft but can be upwards of 20. laxly branches. somewhat lanky. The buds or in botanical terms the akene, also hold certain physical characteristics. Sativas have a higer THC content and lower CBD content (CBD also gets you high)- where as indica is viseversa. sativas are ideally outdoor strains. Their yield is somewhat less than that of a pure indica- but more potent. They usually take longer to mature.
Remeber that all though this is correct in botanical terms, there are still lots of sativa strains bread specifically for indoor use. There are sativa strains bread for a larger yield, etc. All though sativa grow lanky and dont bush, all of this can be manipulated by technique. These subspecies are catagorized by how they have grown naturally for hundreds of years.
sativas usually have a more heady smoke. i guess you could say it has a greater affect in the cerreabral (spelling?) area- whatever, you feel it in your head more than your body. Sometimes it has the tendency to get you a little bit more energetic. -mind you how the different subspecies smokes in a pipe is not a part of its botanical identity as 'sativa'.
where as indica is more of some couchlock, body high. although understand all of this can varry significantly with all of the different hybrids out there.
Please someone correct me if im wrong- if i remember correctly those affects are as said- but they could be vise versa (sativa is couchlock, etc.) I dont remember perfectly but i think thats right.
i could go into more depth about the others but to keep it short and simple-
Sativas are a family of cannabis strains that have their own unique characteristics both physically and genetically- as with any subspecies of cannabis-
so when your buying some seeds and it says 80% sativa and 20% indica- it is basically giving you an idea of the strains genetics, how it will grow, and how it will smoke.
hope that helped- let me know if you'd like to know more - blaze on
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