Hemp Family:-

Hemp Family plant table with its Common Name - Botanical Name. Flowering Months Range. Habitat with link to that Hazel to Lobelia Wild Flower Families Gallery:-

Common Name

Botanical Name

Flowering Months

Habitat

Hemp

(Feral hemp, ditch weed)

Cannabis sativa

August-November

A dioecious annual occurring as a casual from a wide variety of sources, but never persisting. Lowland. In ditches. Used in making sails and ropes. 1% of Irelands landmass, growing hemp for fuel, would provide all the energy needs for the country each year, keeping the money with the farmers and keeping the rural economies active and this is also an environmentally friendly fuel. Hemp only has 100,000 commercial uses, so is not worth growing. 1 acre of hemp = 1,000 gallons of methanol and is cheaper to produce than petrol or diesel

Flower

Flowers

Foliage

Form

Hop

Humulus lupulus

July-August

A scrambling, perennial, dioecious climber which is probably native in moist, open woods, fen carr and hedges. It is frequent as an escape from cultivation or as a planted ornamental. Lowland. The cones are used to make bitter beer.

Female Flowers from Burham in Kent

Male Flowers

Foliage from Burham in Kent

Form in June

Helping Earth's Sustainable Management with a Plant

"Alternatives to the burning of fossil fuels, nuclear waste, deforestation and nitrate chemical fertilizers need to be developed. Hemp could have a vital role to play in the development of friendly alternatives.

Energy production 
A report published by the FCDA of Europe outlines the Cannabis Biomass Energy Equation (CBEE), outlining a convincing case that hemp plants can be used to produce fuel energy CHEAPER per BtU than fossil fuels and uranium - WITHOUT PRODUCING GREENHOUSE GASES! Hemp plants have the highest known quantities of cellulose for annuals - with at least 4x (some suggest even 50-100x) the biomass potential of its closest rivals (cornstalks, sugarcane, kernaf and trees) (Omni, 1983). Biomass production still produces greenhouse gases, although the idea is that the excess of carbon dioxide will be used up by growing hemp plants - they are effective absorbers and thrive at high levels - Unlike fossil fuel energy which produces energy from plants which died millions of years ago.

On reading the report of the FCDA, Hon. Jonathon Porrit (ex-director of Friends of the Earth, currently on the Board of Forum for the Future) commented  'I DID enjoy reading it - the report should contribute much'. Three years later - authorities are still not taking the potential of this plant seriously. MAFF are currently engaging in supporting research into the biomass potential of poplar trees which they claim has the most scientific support for biomass energy production. H-E-M-P recommend use of the hemp plant if biomass energy production is to have any real impact in reducing carbon dioxide levels.

  IT'S SO PRODUCTIVE! 1 acre of hemp = 1,000 gallons of methanol.

  In fact, Henry Ford's first car ran on hemp-methanol! - and at just a fraction of the cost of petroleum alternatives. Alternatives to coal, fuel oil, acetone, ethyl, tar pitch and creosote can be derived - from this one single plant!

  As regards depletion of the ozone layer - hemp actually withstands UV radiation. It absorbs UV light, whilst resisting damage to itself and providing protection for everything else.

  Risk-free, pollution-free energy. No acid rain, and a reduction in airborne pollution of up to 80% ... There's further potential for the same in industry. "

When the petrol companies have sold the last gallon of petrol/diesel, then they might allow hemp-methanol to be used!