Cannabis strains

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Cannabis strains are either pure or hybrid varieties of Cannabis, typically of C. sativa and C. indica. Varieties are developed to intensify specific characteristics of the plant, or to differentiate the strain for the purposes of marketing it more effectively as a drug. Variety names are typically chosen by their growers, and often reflect properties of the plant such as taste, color, smell, or the origin of the variety.[citation needed] Cannabis strains commonly refer to those varieties with recreational and medicinal use. These varieties have been cultivated to contain a high percentage of cannabinoids. Several varieties of cannabis, known as hemp, have a very low cannabinoid content, and are instead grown for their fiber and seed.

Types of varieties

• Clone-only variety – The grower may distribute genetically identical clones of the plant. A clone is the only way to propagate a plant while retaining its exact genetic makeup. Nevertheless, the conditions under which the plant is grown will still greatly affect the final product.

• Stable seed variety – Creating a genetically stable variety involves selectively choosing male and female cannabis plants and breeding them over the course of multiple generations. The final generation's seeds reliably grow into plants that exhibit the desired characteristics, though some genetic variation will still occur.

• Unstable seed varieties – Unstable varieties are produced without numerous generations of breeding. Although they can be produced quickly, plants grown from these seeds may have widely varying characteristics. Commercial seed retailers generally do not distribute unstable seed varieties, though some disreputable shops might. Amateur and third-party growers may, whether knowingly or not, produce unstable derivatives from well known varieties and misleadingly call them by their true variety name.

• Wild varieties or landraces – Some varieties, such as Colombian and Thai, refer to cannabis plants found growing wild in certain regions. Typically, these plants are used as bases for the production of more specialized varieties, such as G-13 or Hash.