# Node

> The point on a stem where a leaf (petiole) and its axillary bud attach; branches, flowers and clone roots all originate at nodes.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/node.html
- Also written: nodes, nodal site, leaf node, growth node
- Glossary category: Plant biology
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A node is the place on a stem where one or more leaves attach. In cannabis each node carries a leaf on its [petiole](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/petiole.md), an [axillary bud](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/axillary-bud.md) in the angle between leaf and stem, and often a pair of small stipules. The stem between two nodes is the [internode](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/internode.md).

## In practice

Nodes are the grower's counting unit. Topping is usually done above the third to fifth node; mainlining builds a plant from a chosen node; clones root best when a node is buried or sits just above the cut. In flower, every node on a productive branch becomes a bud site, which is why [short internodes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/node-stacking.md) (many nodes per centimetre) give dense [colas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cola.md).

Nodes are also where you look first for sex. [Pre-flowers](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pre-flower.md) appear at the nodes, typically from the fourth to sixth node upward, a few weeks into vegetative growth on [photoperiod plants](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/photoperiod.md).

Young cannabis has opposite nodes (two leaves per node). Older plants and flowering shoots switch to alternate nodes, one leaf per node. That switch signals maturity.

## Don't confuse with

- **Internode**: the stem between nodes.
- **Axillary bud**: the bud sitting at the node, not the node itself.
- **Knuckle**: grower slang for a healed [supercropping](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/supercropping.md) callus, often between nodes.

## Related terms

[Internode](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/internode.md), [Axillary bud](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/axillary-bud.md), [Petiole](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/petiole.md), [Apical meristem](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/apical-meristem.md)

## Read more

- [Topping: cutting the main tip for more colas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/training/topping.md)
- [Cannabis plant biology: the parts and what they do](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/cannabis-plant-biology.md)

## Sources

1. Spitzer-Rimon B, Duchin S, Bernstein N, Kamenetsky R. 2019. Architecture and florogenesis in female Cannabis sativa plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00350
2. Small E. 2015. Evolution and classification of Cannabis sativa (marijuana, hemp) in relation to human utilization. The Botanical Review 81:189-294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-015-9157-3