Today, cannabis consumers have a variety of choices when it comes to strains.
With so many strain options it can be hard to decide which one to go with, especially lately.
Have you ever heard of landrace strains?
Did you know that all strains of cannabis available today can be genetically traced back to a handful of varieties? This is also known as landrace strains.
“Landrace strains are cannabis cultivars that have never been crossed by breeders, evolving stable genetics over centuries of natural selection and long-term exposure to their home environment” ( High Times).
Thankfully, cannabis is a highly adaptable plant and became a “native” to numerous regions throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Where do landrace strains come from?
Cannabis is actually one of the oldest crops in history. Dating back to 2900 B.C., the cannabis plant was first referenced in historical documents by the Chinese emperor Shen-Nung, who is known as the Father of Chinese Medicine.
Shen wrote about cannabis in his encyclopedia of plant medicines called the “Pen Ts’ao”
Botanists trace all cannabis genetics back to a single plant first developed in the Hindu Kush region. Today, this area is known as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
So cool to think about how this first wild cannabis variety was used for just about everything. From clothing to ropemaking and medicinal and spiritual practices.
Ancient Greeks and Romans moved the cannabis plant west. Headed in the direction of the Middle East and Russia. Then, German tribes took it even further west while the Ottomans delivered the plant south to Africa.
Next in 1545, African cannabis species crossed the Atlantic. Cannabis arrived in the Caribbean and Central America where it was used for rope, feed for animals, oils for painting, and more.
Thankfully, the cannabis plant flourished in many of these regions.
This is where the first landrace strains came from. They are named after their country and/or region of origin. They are easy to identify based on how each variety has developed characteristics suited to the environment its grown in.
Popular Landrace Strains
Many landrace strains are available on the market today. Check out the list below and see if you have tried a few that are mentioned.
Middle Eastern landrace strains:
African landrace strains:
Latin American landrace strains:
Jamaica’s Lamb’s Bread
Asian landrace strains:
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