Hemp Varieties

Northern and Asiatic

• Northern hemp is grown in Russia and Finland north of 60 degrees latitude and is very short, rarely growing taller than five feet. While its global importance is negligible, it is invaluable in the Arctic, where it is the only cultivable fiber and oil plant.

  Asiatic hemp, grown in China, Japan, Thailand and Korea, is distinctive for its branched stalks and numerous shorter stalk segments typically growing eight to 10 feet tall and for its large, bright pastel green leaves.

Central Russian

• Central Russian hemp occupies the majority of acreage devoted to hemp cultivation. All hemp cultivated in northern Germany, Poland, Ukraine and central Russia is this variety. Central Russian hemp takes 90 to 110 days to mature and grows four to nine feet tall, with a lightly branching stalk sprouting an average of five to nine leaflets. It has mediocre fiber but produces large amounts of seeds.

Mediterranean

• Mediterranean, or southern hemp, grows only below 50 degrees latitude -- south of where central Russian and northern will grow -- in southern, southeastern and central Europe and Turkey. This variety has the longest stalks, growing eight to 15 feet, which will branch out on a free-standing plant. Long stalks produce large leaves with nine to 11 leaflets each. Though it produces fewer seeds, each plant produces high stalk yields with many fibers, so it takes less acreage to turn a profit than central Russian.

Wild

• Wild hemp grows in the Volga and Ural regions of Russia, in Turkey and eastern Europe. It is a short plant with stalks usually no taller than three feet and grows many branches and with small seeds. Wild hemp grows like a weed in the same areas as cultivated varieties and easily interbreeds with them, meaning its runty characteristics often cause a biological degradation of the profitable varieties.

  Varieties with longer stalks are wild-growing cultivated species.