ALBINISM IN CANNABIS
Albino marijuana – When you think of albinism, you probably picture someone with very pale coloring, with snow-white skin or hair. After all, it’s a phenomenon that has gained popularity over the years, both for its striking look and for its presence in literature and on the big screen. But did you know that cannabis can have this condition too?
That's right! A cannabis plant can also sprout with or acquire this condition throughout its life. Below we tell you all about albino marijuana and its curiosities.
Does albino marijuana have any benefits for the plant?
The albino marijuana plant is usually extremely striking for its lack of color that can appear both in its leaves and in its buds. But what is the origin of this condition and what is its consequence?
Well, the truth is that albino cannabis isn’t a sought-after, carefully bred genetic designed to make the plant more striking and beautiful; quite the opposite. As in humans and animals, albinism in cannabis is a lack of pigmentation in the plant.
This means that although these plants can look beautiful and eye-catching, genetically they’re at a HUGE disadvantage, since their white color is a sign of a severe lack of chlorophyll, the substance that’s essential for photosynthesis, the process by which plants turn light into chemical energy, producing sugars so they can feed, survive and grow… pretty important, right?
A plant that is born one hundred percent albino is unable to photosynthesize, which is why it never reaches maturity. However, this rarely happens; most cases of albinism in cannabis aren’t so extreme, with partial or reduced pigmentation. This semi-albino condition is known as “variegation”.
CANNABIS VARIEGATION
The variegated genetics also have a discoloration in the leaves, but in this last case the common are bicolor leaves that form a very strange pigmentation pattern, where there are parts of the plant without chlorophyll but others that have it, so that it can photosynthesize and feed, reaching maturity.
In conclusion, albinism is a genetic flaw in the cannabis plant and its lack of chlorophyll may be reflected in slower growth and lower production, but that doesn't stop us from growing one of them, either out of curiosity or love for their strange, white condition!
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