Wild hemp growing near Iowa State’s campus area is not unusual. At least that’s what the Department of Public Safety says.

Brent Pringnitz, an extension program specialist in Agronomy Hall, confirmed the weed pictured with this story, which was growing in front of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, 301 Lynn Ave., was a wild hemp weed.

“No doubt about that one,” he said.

Janelle Bott, president of Alpha Chi Omega, said no one was at the house during the summer when the picture was taken.

“Our house mom is here occasionally in the summer, but she takes trips a lot and goes on vacation,” Bott said.

Since then the wild hemp weed has been removed.

Bott said the sorority has groundskeepers who take care of the lawn, and she didn’t know how often they work during the summer.

Jerry Stewart, associate director of DPS, said DPS finds wild hemp growing in various locations on campus.

“We recently pulled about 60 plants a month ago,” Stewart said.

Stewart said for instances like Alpha Chi Omega, charges would not be filed.

“Usually charges are associated with cultivated operations,” he said.

Pringnitz said generally marijuana and wild hemp are the same, but he prefers using the term wild hemp when the plant is uncultivated.

The scientific name for wild hemp is Cannabis sativa. It is commonly found in rich soils along roadsides, railroad embankments, ditch banks, waste places, fence rows, neglected fields, floodplains, farmyards and gardens.

According to ISU’s extension service, hemp has been cultivated for its fiber since ancient times. Originally it is a native of the temperate parts of central and western Asia, but it has spread throughout Asia, Europe and America.

The annual plants usually grow 5 to 7 feet high, but in a favorable environment they can reach 12 feet. Hemp flowers in July and August and reproduces only by seed.

Pringnitz said he doubted the hemp plant found in front of Alpha Chi Omega was purposely planted because it is in a visible vicinity.

Like other plants, Pringnitz said hemp seeds could have been moved to that location by animals, new soil or from other seeds.

One of the main reasons for wild hemp’s abundance in Iowa, Pringnitz said, is because it was once a commercial crop.

Although many people know of hemp because of its negative use as a drug (marijuana), around the time of World War II it was used for fiber and seed.

The fiber was used in sailcloths, twine, upholstery webbing, belt webbing, rope, carpet yarns, carpet thread, sacking, bagging, paper and cordage.

Hemp was informally named galloweed, neckweed and gallowgrass because the high-quality rope made from it is often used in official executions.

Hemp seed is also used to feed caged birds and poultry.

Pringnitz said there has been talk about bringing back hemp as a commercial crop, but legalities stand in the way.

When wild hemp is found growing on or near campus, Stewart said the DPS calls facilities planning and management to pull or spray the weeds.

“We call it ditch weed, because it is usually found growing in the ditch,” he said.

DPS, along with the Central Iowa Task Force, perform fly-overs in search of wild hemp or suspected cultivated hemp, Stewart said.

“Occasionally we’ll find a cultivated path, which is usually identifiable from the air,” he said.