Editor's note: This article has been reviewed and updated for accuracy in 2026. Anyone interested in cannabis inevitably ends up understanding trichomes and how they can impact the flower harvested from the plant. This is because trichomes are such important actors in everything about how a cannabis bud looks, smells, tastes, and smokes. Ultimately, trichomes (not trichomes, tricombs, or tricomes) play many roles, but they are commonly associated with the notorious aromas and sticky feeling of cannabis flowers. What are Trichomes? The word trichome is of Greek origin, long used in botany, which translates to hair. This is logical given how trichomes tend to look like hairs to the naked eye. Trichomes actually exist on a plethora of plants outside the cannabis kingdom including on algae, lichens, protists, and other non-THC containing plants. Trichomes can include hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. The carnivorous plant Drosera Capensis actually uses it's long trichomes to ensnare and trap insects which it then slowly digests. Luckily for us, cannabis plants are not carnivorous! In terms of biological function trichomes are very specialized structures that play vital roles in multiple plant processes, from catching insects to reproduction, the various roles trichomes play i