What Are Landrace Cannabis Strains?

These days, the cannabis market is all about the newest and most novel strains. Hybrids, crossbreeds, and all manner exotic, genetically engineered skunks, purples, hazes, kushes, dreams, and so on are capturing the bulk of consumer attention.

And why not? What’s new is what’s sexy, captivating, and intriguing right now.

But where did cannabis originally come from? What were folks smoking before today’s lab-engineered master creations?

We had the same question here at Cannawayz.com and decided to take a closer look at the history of cannabis. Here’s what we found…

Landrace Cannabis Strains

If you were consuming cannabis in the ’60s and ‘70s, it was probably a Landrace cannabis strain. And most Landrace strains available at the time were Sativa strains.

These strains initially appeared in isolated regions, which is the origin of the name Landrace. These strains were primarily found in tropical or semi-tropical climates, which is where Sativas thrive in the wild. A few more famous Sativa Landrace strains include Thai Stick, Durban Poison, Acapulco Gold, and Maui Wowie.

At the same time, in more arid, desert, and semi-desert regions, Indica strains were also flourishing. But due to their more remote, isolated locales, Indica strains took longer to garner mainstream awareness. Some well-known Landrace Indica strains include Afghani (sometimes called Afghani Kush), Hindu Kush, and Mazar.

What’s Different About Landrace Strains?

Some cannabis enthusiasts have claimed that Landrace strains are more potent than today’s lab-cultivated breeds.

This is just plain false. In fact, the scientific tinkering responsible for most modern-day strains has actually significantly increased potency. Newer engineered strains are sometimes over 300% more potent than Landrace strains.

The real difference is the genetic makeup of Landrace strains. Specifically, that Landrace strains have a genetic basis that has proven stable over time.

What exactly does that mean? Landrace strains appeared in the wild and survived without any formal cultivation.

Modern strains, however, are primarily grown in greenhouses, warehouses, or other highly controlled environments. And it’s tough to say if these strains could survive without significant agriculture support.

Why Are Landrace Strains Still Important?

A couple of reasons.

First, let’s say you’re a grower looking to grow cannabis crops outdoors on a high-acreage farm with limited support. Landrace strains are more likely to thrive in this less controlled setting.

And secondly, let’s say a genetic disease disrupts modern, engineered cannabis strains causing them all to die out. Cultivators could still rely on Landrace strains to grow new crops.