One of the most fascinating aspects of the cannabis plant has got to be its looks. Some strains are bright green in color, while others have dark purple hues that make the buds look almost good enough to eat. But, what’s the deal with orange weed? What are the orange hairs on weed?
If you’ve ever looked at your bud and asked yourself, “Why is my weed orange?” You’re certainly not the only one.
We’ve already talked in-depth about what makes purple weed purple, so, today, let’s focus on what makes your orange weed, well, orange.
What Makes Orange Weed Orange?
When you take a look at your cannabis and see bits of orange hairs, what you’re seeing is something called pistils.
Short and sweet, pistils are the plant’s female sex organs. These organs, called stigmas, protrude all over female cannabis plants, as they’re there to help collect pollen that then fertilizes and nourishes the plant during the growth process.
As the plant grows, the pistils continue to evolve, too. Over time, they can change colors, taking on different hues depending on how the plant was grown.
Once it’s time for harvest, certain strains may have much more red or yellow hues than others, with orange hairs that are quite prominent.
The orange hairs on your weed are not exclusive to strains that have yellow, red, or even orange hues, either. You’ll find stigmas and pistils on all your female cannabis buds.
So, what makes your buds the actual colors that they are, then?
Why Your Weed is Colorful
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why is my weed orange?” or maybe even purple, blue, or a combination of both, the answer is anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are a compound within the flavonoid family that play a huge role in the pigments of your cannabis buds — as well as other fruits, vegetables, and plants.
Certain strains simply have higher levels of anthocyanins than others, and these strains are likely to be the ones with dark purple, blue, or even pink colors.
If your strain isn’t rich in those colors, this indicates low anthocyanin levels. When these levels are low, the plant will start to change colors a bit during the final stages of growth. You can thank this change to carotenoids.
Carotenoids are other terpenoids responsible for pigmentation; however, these molecules will make your cannabis buds appear yellow, red, and, you guessed it, orange.
So, to make things simple: your purple-hued weed has high levels of anthocyanins, while your orange weed has low levels of anthocyanins and higher levels of carotenoids. Oh, and those orange hairs on your weed? Those are the female sex organs of your plant.
Popular Orange Weed Strains
Interested in trying some notoriously orange weed for fun? We’ll touch on it later, but it’s important to remember that the color of your weed doesn’t have any impact on its potency.
Still, it can be fun to grind up colorful buds to see the plant’s vibrant hues. So, here are some of the best orange weed strains on the market to enjoy.
Super Lemon Haze
The Super Lemon Haze (SLH) strain is well-known for its bright orange and yellow hues.
This orange weed strain is a sativa-dominant hybrid that’s great for promoting creativity and energy, especially in those that may be feeling a little own.
SLH strain is popular for its high kief content, too: you’ll likely notice your buds are absolutely coasted in crystals. This helps bring the potency level to a whole new level.
If you’re someone with high anxiety levels, we’d suggest avoiding this strain — as well as these others — as it may make your paranoia worse due to its stimulating characteristics.
Agent Orange
The Agent Orange strain offers perfect examples of some colorful bud.
This strain is known for having deep purple colors alongside bright orange, sparkly hues that are nearly breathtaking. You’ll find hints of maroon and deep green inside, too.
Agent Orange is a nicely balanced hybrid strain that can be quite relaxing without making you too tired. It’s also very popular for its mood-boosting properties, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself giggling after a few puffs.
Tropicana Cookies
If you want orange weed covered in bright hairs and a ton of kief crystals, Tropicana Cookies is the strain for you.
This hybrid strain offers bold orange colors due to its vibrant hairs, while the buds themselves have deep purple hues.
And, the orange hairs aren’t the only thing orange about this weed: it also has very distinct orange and other citrus flavors that your mouth and nose will absolutely love.
Myths About Orange Weed Strains
Before we let you go, we wanted to address some common myths about orange weed strains.
This way, you’ve got all your information correct and accurate.
Myth #1. It’s more potent than other less orange strains.
It’s a common misconception that the color of your weed influences potency. This could not be further from the truth.
As we’ve mentioned, the color of your weed purely depends on the different molecules within the plant. Every strain has a unique terpene and flavonoid profile, both of which influence the colors that your plant has.
Orange strains are not going to be any more potent than purple weed strains, and vice versa. The color of your weed is simply something fun to keep an eye out for.
Myth #2. The pistils have THC in them.
Some people think that orange strains are more potent because they have more pistils. However, pistils do not contain THC.
These parts of the plant are simply there to help the plant reproduce and grow. They don’t have any psychoactive properties, and they don’t get you high.
What does make your bud more potent, though, is a higher amount of trichomes.
Trichomes are the crystal-like, sticky part of your cannabis plant. These glands are what produce all of your favorite elements of cannabis: cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.
Thus, the more trichomes — or the more crystal-coated — your buds are, the more potent they are likely to be. But, again, the actual color of your buds doesn’t have any influence on this.
Myth #3. Only sativa strains have orange hairs.
Finally, there’s a myth that only sativa strains have bright orange hairs, and that if you have orange cannabis, it’s automatically a sativa. This isn’t true!
Indicas, sativas, and hybrids all have orange hairs.
Some strains may have more prominent pistils, but this has nothing to do with the type of cannabis you have. You can easily come across pure indica strains that have an abundance of orange hairs.
Getting All Your Canna-Information With Elevate Holistics
The next time you buy some medical marijuana, make sure to take a closer look at your buds. What colors do they have? Are the pistils present? What does the kief content look like?
All of these aspects help make the cannabis plant the unique blessing that it is. And, the more you know about the plant itself, the better you can utilize it for your health and wellness.
Here at Elevate Holistics, we want you to always have access to the most up-to-date cannabis information available.
We also want to ensure that you have access to cannabis itself — and we can help you do that with our online MMJ card recommendations.
Elevate Holistics will help you get your medical cannabis card online, right from the comfort of your home.
Even if your state has legalized the plant recreationally, having your MMJ card grants you benefits — like saving money, getting more weed, and always being a priority — that adult-use cannabis never will.
Ready to take the next step in your wellness journey?
