Polyploid

Standard cannabis is diploid (2n = 20 chromosomes), inheriting one chromosome set from each parent. Polyploid cannabis carries three or more chromosome sets — triploid (3n = 30), tetraploid (4n = 40), or higher. Polyploidy occurs naturally in many crop plants (wheat is hexaploid, strawberries are octoploid) but is rare in cannabis. Breeders can induce polyploidy by treating germinating seeds with colchicine, an alkaloid extracted from the autumn crocus that disrupts cell division and causes chromosome doubling. The resulting tetraploid plants typically show: 20-30% larger leaves with thicker waxy cuticles, denser more compact flowers, 30-50% more trichomes per flower surface area, larger calyxes, and elevated cannabinoid biosynthesis capacity. Tetraploid x diploid crosses produce triploid seeds — sterile plants that cannot produce seeds, similar to seedless watermelons. Triploid cannabis is gaining commercial attention because the plant's metabolic energy goes entirely into flower production rather than seed production, theoretically yielding 10-25% more usable flower per plant and eliminating the risk of accidental pollination contaminating crops. Companies like Humboldt Seed Company and Dark Heart Nursery have released commercial triploid lines as of 2023-2024. Trade-offs include slower vegetative growth, reduced cloning success rates, and the high upfront cost of laboratory-induced polyploid breeding. Most polyploid cannabis remains experimental rather than mainstream.