Glossary
Cannabis sativa L.
Updated:
Cannabis sativa L. is the botanical name of the plant species that includes both hemp and marijuana. The L. credits Linnaeus, who first published the name. Federal hemp and marijuana definitions both start from this species name, and NIH counts about 540 chemical substances in the plant.
Cannabis sativa L. is the Linnaean name for the cannabis plant, with the L. standing for Linnaeus, who published the name in Species Plantarum. Botanists still debate whether indica and ruderalis are separate species or varieties of sativa. Federal law sidesteps the debate and uses Cannabis sativa L. for everything.
Both federal definitions begin with the species. Hemp is the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant with not more than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis (7 U.S.C. 1639o). Marijuana is all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L. except hemp and a few fibrous or sterile parts (21 U.S.C. 802). The plant is the same; the threshold decides the label.
NIH reports that the plant contains about 540 chemical substances, with more than 100 cannabinoids identified beyond THC and CBD (NCCIH). The rest includes terpenes, flavonoids, fatty acids and chlorophyll, which is why extraction and refinement steps matter so much to the final product.
Hemp grown for fiber and seed, hemp grown for cannabinoids, and high-THC cannabis are all cultivars of this one species.
Sources
- Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (accessed 2026-10-13)
- 7 U.S.C. 1639o, Definitions (hemp) Cornell Legal Information Institute (accessed 2026-10-13)
- 21 U.S.C. 802, Definitions (Controlled Substances Act) Cornell Legal Information Institute (accessed 2026-10-13)