Cannabaceae

Some plants are in a big group.

This group is called the hemp family. Some are tall trees. Others are vines that climb.

Many of these plants have small flowers. The wind helps move their pollen. This helps them grow new seeds. Some plants make hops. Hops can make drinks taste bitter. Other plants make hemp. We use hemp for cloth and oil. These plants are very useful to us. It is fun to learn about them!

The Cannabaceae are a family of flowering plants. People often call them the hemp family.

This family has about 170 different species. Some are tall trees like the Celtis. Others are climbing plants or herbs. The Celtis group is the largest. It has about 100 species.

Many of these plants are dioecious. This means there are separate male and female plants. The flowers are very simple. They do not have bright petals. Instead, the wind moves their pollen. This way, the plants make seeds.

Humans use these plants in many ways. Hops are a plant in this family. They make beer taste bitter. They also help the drink stay fresh. Some Cannabis plants are grown as hemp. People use hemp to make fiber and oil. They also eat the seeds and leaves. Some people use these plants for medicine.

These plants are very old. Scientists found pollen from long ago. It is from 90 million years ago. This shows they have been around for a very long time.

The Cannabaceae are a small group of flowering plants. People often call them the hemp family.

This family is very important to humans. It includes many different kinds of plants. Some are tall trees like the Celtis. Others are climbing plants or small herbs. There are about 170 different species in this group.

The Celtis group is the largest part of the family. It contains about 100 different species.

These plants have a special way of growing and making seeds. Many members are dioecious, which means they have separate male and female plants. The flowers are very simple and do not have bright petals. Instead, they use the wind to move pollen from one plant to another. Because of this, the flower parts are very small. A tiny cup-like part called a bracteole protects the seed.

The fruit can be a small nut or a fleshy fruit called a drupe.

Scientists have learned a lot about how these plants are grouped. Before the 1990s, experts used different systems to name them. They used to put these plants in an order called Urticales. This group included many other plant families too. Later, new data from molecules changed what we knew. In 1998, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group placed them in the order Rosales.

This showed they are part of a larger group of plants.

This plant family has a very long history on Earth. They likely began in East Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. Scientists found old pollen in Sarawak, Borneo, from about 90 million years ago.

In the past, these plants lived in many places in the Northern Hemisphere. As the climate changed, they moved toward tropical areas. Humans have also used them for a long time. Carbon dating shows they may have been used in China as early as 494 B.C.

We use many members of this family in our daily lives. The common hop is used to make beer taste bitter. The resins in the flowers also help the drink stay fresh.

Some Cannabis plants are grown as hemp for fiber or oil. People also eat their seeds and leaves. Some plants are even used for medicine or fun. You might even smell flavors like strawberry or citrus from them. Even the bark of the Pteroceltis tree is used to make high-end paper.

Cannabaceae is a specialized family of flowering plants. Many people know them as the hemp family. This group includes about 170 different species. These species are organized into roughly 11 different genera. The most famous members include Cannabis, which we call hemp. Another important member is Humulus, which we call hops. The largest group in this family is the genus Celtis. This genus contains about 100 different species of plants.

Members of the Cannabaceae family grow in very different ways. Some species are tall trees, such as those in the Celtis genus. Others are erect herbs that grow straight up. Some are twining herbs that climb using their stems. The leaves often have a shape called palmately lobed. This means the leaf lobes spread out from a single point. These plants also always have stipules, which are small parts at the base of a leaf. Most members have cystoliths, which are tiny mineral deposits in their cells. Some may also have laticifers, which are tubes that carry a milky fluid.

These plants have a unique way of reproducing. Many species are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female plants. The flowers are actinomorphic, which means they have radial symmetry. They do not have large or colorful petals. This is because they are pollinated by the wind rather than insects. Because of wind pollination, the calyx and corolla are very small. These parts are reduced to vestigial remnants that coat the seed. A tiny, cup-like structure called a bracteole protects the seed. This bracteole is often mistakenly called a calyx by some people. The flowers grow in groups called cymes. In dioecious plants, male flowers form long structures called panicles. Female flowers are shorter and have fewer blossoms. The fruit can be an achene or a fleshy drupe.

Scientists have changed how they classify these plants over time. Before the 1990s, experts used different systems to group them. Systems by researchers like Cronquist and Dahlgren placed them in the order Urticales. This order included other families like Moraceae and Ulmaceae. However, new molecular data changed this view in the 1990s. This data showed these families actually belonged in the order Rosales. In 1998, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group placed them in this expanded order. They are now part of a group known as urticalean rosids.

The history of Cannabaceae goes back millions of years. They likely originated in East Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. Scientists found very old pollen in Sarawak, Borneo. This pollen dates back to the Turonian age, about 90 to 94 million years ago. In the early Cenozoic era, these plants lived across the Northern Hemisphere. As the climate changed during the later Cenozoic, their range shifted. They moved toward more tropical regions of the world.

Humans have interacted with these plants for a very long time. Carbon dating suggests plants in the Cannabis genus were used in Xinjiang, China. This use for ritual or medicinal purposes may date to 494 B.C. Today, Humulus lupulus, the common hop, is very important for making beer. The resins in the hop flowers provide a bitter taste. These resins also have antimicrobial qualities that help extend shelf life. Some people even eat the young shoots of hops as a vegetable.

We use many species in the Cannabaceae family for different purposes. Some Cannabis plants are grown as hemp to produce fiber or oil. Their seeds are nutritious, and their leaves are edible. Other plants are grown for medical or recreational uses. People use dried flowers, extracts, or infused foods. Through selective breeding, humans can change the plant's chemistry. They can increase or decrease levels of THC or other cannabinoids. They can also change the terpenes to create scents like strawberry or citrus. Finally, the bark of the Pteroceltis tree is used to make high-end Chinese paper.