Pistil

Pistils refer to the small, hair-like female reproductive organs on cannabis plants that visibly protrude out from the clusters of swollen bracts and calyces on female flowers. Botanically, each individual pistil consists of three key components: the stigma, the style, and the ovary.

As plants mature through the flowering stage, the initially white pistils will progressively darken and transition in color, signaling they are ready to receive pollen from male cannabis plants needed for fertilization and seed production. When it comes to sinsemilla buds, the abundance of long, vibrant white or reddish pistils are indicative of a healthy, robust, and unfertilized female plant.

Skilled cannabis breeders will intentionally fertilize certain targeted pistils on select female plants using pollen collected from male plants and applied gently using small paintbrushes in order to strategically pollinate and breed specific new seed varieties.