Different kind of trichomes ?

lince

Well-Known Member
Hey there, so I bought a pocket microscope couple weeks back and had some fun looking at the trichomes. Now, I saw that there were some trichomes without the round head, and other with a cone shape, does anybody know why are those like that ?
 

brownbearclan

Active Member
Could be they aren't formed all the way, broken off etc., nothing to stress about. Now if it didn't have any trichs that's when you worry. =)
 

ghb

Well-Known Member
they are either immature or over ripe, conical heads will fill out to be balls, jagged edges mean they are degrading. don't be too worried.
 

lince

Well-Known Member
hehe, I'm not asking because I'm worried but because I'm curious :) Yes, I guess it could be because they are still not fully formed or broken as you said but it could also be that there are different type of trichomes right ? so which one is the right answer to this ? :)
 

lince

Well-Known Member
didn't see your reply ghb. So you mean that they go from conical shape to tubes and at the end the head grows ?
 

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
hehe, I'm not asking because I'm worried but because I'm curious :) Yes, I guess it could be because they are still not fully formed or broken as you said but it could also be that there are different type of trichomes right ? so which one is the right answer to this ? :)
Trichromes are the same from plant to plant. There might be a slight color difference in rare strains but no, there are not different types of trichromes, just different color ones.
 

ghb

Well-Known Member
100930123628648511.jpg100930123253432918.jpg

luckily my scope takes photos, do yours look like these?, they are taken from my lemon skunk at 8 weeks, still not ready as you can see. the heads are at different stages of maturity, some have the perfectly round head and some have the slightly conical head. they normally all tend to end up as almost perfect spheres on the end of a stem.
 

lince

Well-Known Member
Nice pictures ghb, I can't get as close and never show a conical head hehe, looks cool. I meant something like this though:

conical_trichome.jpg

The whole trichome is conical here, not just the head.
 

ghb

Well-Known Member
my plants have them too, not sure what they are, hooks to catch pollen maybe, or a trichome with no head yet....... who knows, normal though.
 

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Nice pictures ghb, I can't get as close and never show a conical head hehe, looks cool. I meant something like this though:

View attachment 1326298

The whole trichome is conical here, not just the head.
It looks like an immature growing trichrome. How old is the plant? I dont start looking at mine until 4+ weeks into flower.
 

lince

Well-Known Member
It looks like an immature growing trichrome. How old is the plant? I dont start looking at mine until 4+ weeks into flower.
Well, I took the picture from the internet so I don't know how old the plant is. This one is from a papaya plant, 36 days flowering.

PP0360-06122010586.jpg

Anyway, found some information on the internet, looks like the conical shaped ones are trichomes and the ones with rounded head are glandular hairs ? this is getting a little bit too technical. Still not sure why they are different... may read a little bit more of that pdf

Got the info from this pdf: http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/marijuana_chemistry.pdf

Until they are about to flower, the plants have only two types of
hairs, The unicellular covering hairs (trichomes) are long and thin
and end in A point (see figure 9e).

The second type of hair (cystolith) is short, swollen at the base
and set into the surrounding epidermal cells (see figure 9a).

When the females are about to flower, their tops become
covered with multicellular glandular hairs, which appear to the
eye as tiny brilliant points. When the female flower first matures,
these hairs form a base of two cubical cells supported by two
wedge-shaped epidermal cells and a globular head of four cells,
all covered by a thin cuticle (waxy non-cellular layer). (See figure
9f).

thricomes_explained.jpg
 

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Send a PM to bricktop asking him about it... the man is a friggin botany encyclopedia...
 

lince

Well-Known Member
Send a PM to bricktop asking him about it... the man is a friggin botany encyclopedia...
Couldn't find that nickname in the forum. I have to say that it would be great to get an explanation from somebody coz it's probably a mess to understand that pdf with all the cells and stuff hehe
 

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Couldn't find that nickname in the forum. I have to say that it would be great to get an explanation from somebody coz it's probably a mess to understand that pdf with all the cells and stuff hehe
I appologize.. Brick Top

He has a degree in botany.
 

Brick Top

New Member
Here are parts of an article. It should answer your questions.


Inside the Trichome



CANNABIS CULTURE - An up-close look at the THC-producing resin glands of the cannabis plant through pot-ographer Bubbleman's macro lens.
If you’ve seen pictures of mature cannabis plants taken with a macroscopic lens that’s zoomed-in very close, then you’ve undoubtedly noticed the many glistening translucent resin glands protruding from the buds, leaves, and just about everywhere else on the plant (see “Stalking Trichomes”, CC #72). Most marijuana growers and readers of pot magazines are quite familiar – and some downright obsessed – with these resinous outgrowths known as trichomes. You may have also read that the sticky coating of trichomes is home to the active ingredients in cannabis – the stuff that gets you high and has all the medical benefits – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and other cannabinoids. But have you ever wondered exactly what the trichomes do for the cannabis plant, or what biological purpose they serve?
Sticky resinous growths knows as trichomes are home to the active ingredients in cannabis. (Click picture to enlarge)Evolution of Trichomes
In nature, only the strong survive, and it is hypothesized by biologists that trichomes evolved as a defense mechanism of the cannabis plant against a range of potential enemies (1). Trichomes, from the Greek meaning ‘growth of hair,’ act as an evolutionary shield, protecting the plant and its seeds from the dangers of its environment, allowing it to reproduce. These adhesive sprouts form a protective layer against offensive insects, preventing them from reaching the surface of the plant. The chemicals in the trichomes make cannabis less palatable to hungry animals and can inhibit the growth of some types of fungus. The resin also helps to insulate the plant from high wind and low humidity, and acts as a natural ‘sun-screen’ in protecting against UV-B light rays. But since trichomes contain euphoric properties attractive to humans, it may be man who has had the most influence on the plants’ development through many years of favoring strains that consistently produce more of these gooey resin heads.
Trichome Types
Trichomes grow in numerous shapes and sizes on many types of plants. The cannabis plant has developed three main types (from NationMaster Encyclopedia):
Bulbous: This type is the smallest (15 to 30 micrometers). From one to four cells make up the ‘foot’ and ‘stalk’, and one to four cells make up the ‘head’ of the gland. Head cells secrete a resin, presumably cannabinoids, and related compounds that accumulate between the head cells and the cuticle. When the gland matures, a nipple-like protrusion may form on the membrane from the pressure of accumulating resin. The bulbous glands are found scattered about the surfaces of the aboveground plant parts. [Pictured below.]

Capitate-Sessile: The second type of gland is larger (25 to 100 micrometers) and more numerous than the bulbous glands. They are called capitate, which means having a globular-shaped head. On immature plants, the heads lie flush, appearing not to have a stalk and are called capitate sessile. They have a stalk that is one cell high, although it may not be visible beneath the globular head. The head is composed of usually eight, but up to 16 cells, that form a convex rosette. These cells secrete cannabinoids and related compounds that accumulate between the rosette and its outer membrane. This gives it a spherical shape.
Capitate-Stalked: Cannabinoids are most abundant in the capitate-stalked glands, which consists of a tier of secretory disc cells subtending a large non-cellular secretory cavity. During flowering, the capitate glands that appear on the newly formed plant parts take on a third form. Some of the glands are raised to a height of 150 to 500 micrometres when their stalks elongate. These capitate-stalked glands appear during flowering and form their densest cover on the female flower bracts [specialized leaves that cover the seeds]. They are also highly concentrated on the small leaves that accompany the flowers. The male flowers have some stalked glands, but they are smaller and less concentrated than on the female. (2)
Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids are a group of chemical compounds that occur naturally in the cannabis plant, first discovered in the 1940s. When consumed by humans, the chemicals bind to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the brain and body, causing euphoria and other effects. The broader definition includes three general types: phytocannabinoids, which occur uniquely in the cannabis plant; endogenous cannabinoids, produced by the bodies of humans and other mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles; and synthetic cannabinoids, which are related compounds produced in laboratories. Cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant include THC, CBD, cannabinol (CBN), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV).
Inside the Trichome
THC and other cannabinoids are produced in only one place on the cannabis plant: inside the heads of the trichomes. How it happens: Organelles produced by the plant called Vacuoles – which contain phenols, a chemical compound similar to alcohol [pictured at right in blue], and another type of organelle called plastids – containing hydrocarbons called terpenes [red], make their way up the trichome stalk [green] and combine inside the secretory cavity into a fibrous mat [yellow]. This concentrated mat is hit by UV-B light waves, causing the creation of cannabinoids. Since all of the psychoactive ingredients are produced inside the trichome, these tiny resin hairs have long been sought after by hash and oil makers and can be separated from the plant and harvested in a variety of ways (3).
Potency and Tricomes
Many media outlets and politicians say the ‘potency’ of today’s pot has increased dramatically in the last 30 years, claiming it contains anywhere from 10%-40% THC. Most are dubious claims, as it is quite obvious that a sample of herbal plant material does not consist of nearly half THC, but there is still much debate on the issue of potency classification. One thing is for sure; heavy trichome production does not necessarily mean higher potency, because the resins inside the trichome may or may not contain high levels of THC and other active ingredients. Some speculate that the percentage levels refer to the amount of THC in the oils produced inside the resin glands, but new studies show that cannabinoids other than THC also have distinctive effects on brain functions and cause correspondingly different effects on human cognition and psychiatric symptoms (4). This makes gauging the ‘potency’ or ‘strength’ of cannabis plants very difficult, as different cannabinoid level combinations may induce different types of highs
 
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