24 Best LANDRACE Cannabis Strains to Grow from Seed
Landrace cannabis strains sold at seed banks are often limited in stock quantity and quick to be discontinued due to the nature of obtaining the seeds (e.g. sources dry up). This list may change accordingly.
Balkhi
| Flowering Time | October |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | High |
Buy Balkhi Regular Seeds?
Congolese
| Flowering Time | 90–120 days |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | – |
Buy Congolese Regular Seeds?
Ciskei
| Flowering Time | 55–65 days; Early Autumn |
|---|---|
| Released By | Tropical Seeds |
| Pack Size | 5/10 seeds |
| Yield | High |
Buy Ciskei Regular Seeds?
Ethiopian
| Flowering Time | 91–98 days; Late November |
|---|---|
| Released By | Ace Seeds |
| Pack Size | 5/10 seeds |
| Yield | Medium/High |
Buy Ethiopian Regular Seeds?
Highland Thai
| Flowering Time | 18 weeks; Late December |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | 1–2 kg/plant |
Buy Highland Thai Regular Seeds?
Honduras
| Flowering Time | 98 days; November |
|---|---|
| Released By | Ace Seeds |
| Pack Size | 5/10 seeds |
| Yield | Very high |
Buy Honduras Regular Seeds?
Kerala
| Flowering Time | November–Early February |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | Medium |
Buy Kerala Regular Seeds?
Ketama
In the Rif mountains of northern Morrocco, Ketama is best known around the world as Morocco’s Hash Capital. The cannabis plants from Ketama are adapted to growing in the local arid conditions with barren, rocky soil and are naturally ideal hashish production plants. Ketama by World of Seeds are a high yield, pure indica variety chosen from a huge collection of seeds WOS brought back from Rif and reproduced. The large, fast-flowering, resinous buds are ready as early as September outdoors and give strong odors of the best Moroccan Hash. High resistance to pests, diseases and medium resistance to mold.
| Flowering Time | 7–8 weeks; Late September |
|---|---|
| Released By | World of Seeds |
| Pack Size | 3/7/10/12 seeds |
| Yield | Indoors: 300–400 g/m2; Outdoors: 400–500 g/plant |
Buy Ketama Reg / Fem Seeds?
Kumaoni
| Flowering Time | Mid-October–Early November |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | 1–2 kg/plant |
Buy Kumaoni Regular Seeds?
Kwazulu
Kwazulu is a quick-flowering landrace pure sativa strain obtained from wild cannabis plants growing along the north-facing slopes of South Africa’s Drakensberg ridge, since maintained by World of Seeds. An incredible cultivar that flourishes in various climates, Kwazulu seeds are easy to grow both indoors and outdoors, being ready to harvest in October for the northern hemisphere. Yields competitive quantities of mold resistant, big sweet buds tested up to 20% THC.
| Flowering Time | 8-9 weeks; Mid-October |
|---|---|
| Released By | World of Seeds |
| Pack Size | 3/7/10/12 seeds |
| Yield | Indoors: 350 g/m2; Outdoors: 450–500 g/plant |
Buy Kwazulu Reg / Fem Seeds?
Lebanese
| Flowering Time | Early September–Early October |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | High |
Buy Lebanese Regular Seeds?
Malana Cream
| Flowering Time | Late September–October |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | High |
Buy Malana Cream Regular Seeds?
Malawi Gold
| Flowering Time | 14–16 weeks; Long flowering |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | High |
Buy Malawi Gold Regular Seeds?
Manipuri
| Flowering Time | Mid-December–Mid-January |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | Medium/High |
Buy Manipuri Regular Seeds?
Mazar-I-Sharif
| Flowering Time | 60–82 days; October |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | Indoors: 300 g/m2; Outdoors: 1.5–2 kg/plant |
Buy Mazar-I-Sharif Regular Seeds?
Nepalese
| Flowering Time | Mid-October–November |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | 1 kg+/plant |
Buy Nepalese Regular Seeds?
Pakistan Chitral Kush
| Flowering Time | 8–9 weeks; End of September |
|---|---|
| Released By | Cannabiogen |
| Pack Size | 1/3/5/10 seeds |
| Yield | Medium |
Buy Pakistan Chitral Kush Reg / Fem Seeds?
Pakistan Valley
Pakistan Valley by World of Seeds is a selectively-bred pure indica strain sourced from the Hindu Kush mountains of northern Pakistan. A favorite hardy indica strain for indoor growers, Pakistan Valley seeds grow into fast flowering, compact plants with many side branches. Shows good resistance to drought and moderate resistance to mold and pests. Outdoors the bulky plants are ready to harvest around early October in northern areas. The pungent resinous buds of Pakistan Valley have been measured containing 21.2% THC and give a strong, sedative high.
| Flowering Time | 45–55 days; Early October |
|---|---|
| Released By | World of Seeds |
| Pack Size | 3/7/10/12 seeds |
| Yield | Indoors: 400 g/m2; Outdoors: 500–600 g/plant |
Buy Pakistan Valley Reg / Fem Seeds?
Parvati
| Flowering Time | Mid-October–Early November |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | 1–2 kg/plant |
Buy Parvati Regular Seeds?
Sinai
| Flowering Time | Late September–Early October |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | High |
Buy Sinai Regular Seeds?
Syrian
A hardy landrace cannabis variety adapted to hot desert summer days and cold nights, Syrian strains share similarities to Lebanese landraces from Bekaa Valley, likely due to Syria’s long tradition of cannabis cultivation, particularly in the mountainous western region bordering Lebanon. Two main phenotypes can be found, a most desirable indica ideal for hash making that stays near 3 feet tall and a more feral sativa that gets up to 5 feet high. Syrian plants benefit from dry periods between watering and the ideal phenos produce dense, “hash plant” buds packed with shiny crystals that give a positive, inspiring and relaxing high. Seeds obtained via local gene bank.
| Flowering Time | September–October |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | Medium |
Buy Syrian Regular Seeds?
Tirah
| Flowering Time | Late September–October |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | High |
Buy Tirah Regular Seeds?
Ukhrul
| Flowering Time | December–January |
|---|---|
| Released By | The Real Seed Company |
| Pack Size | 5/12 seeds |
| Yield | Medium/High |
Buy Ukhrul Regular Seeds?
Wild Thailand
Wild Thailand is a potent pure sativa strain from the Koh Chang district in Thailand. The genetics have been inbred by local farmers to produce plants with a shorter flowering time with higher yields, and show a high pest and mold resistance. Outdoors, Wild Thailand seeds grow into big plants that finish around late-November. Indoors, growers may want to switch to flowering cycle quickly to control the stretchy growth tendencies of Wild Thailand. The exotic citrus-flavored buds contain a very high 22.3% THC content including THCV which tropical Southeast Asian sativas are renowned for. Racy, euphoric high.
| Flowering Time | 75–90 days; End of November |
|---|---|
| Released By | World of Seeds |
| Pack Size | 3/7/10/12 seeds |
| Yield | Indoors: 300 g/m2; Outdoors: 450–500 g/plant |
Buy Wild Thailand Reg / Fem Seeds?
Your Own Strain Hunt
While the strains on this list can be purchased at an online cannabis seed bank, another fun aspect of growing and breeding is finding your own rare cannabis genetics around the world in person. For example, here’s a Lao sativa that I saw growing in the Bolaven Plateau, near Pakse, Laos. It’s got very long “finger” leaves and the buds give you a speedy, trippy high. More photos on my Tumblr. There’s a lot of interesting genetics out there that you can make unique hybrids with or just enjoy pure.
9 thoughts on “24 Best LANDRACE Cannabis Strains to Grow from Seed”
Born 1954 & raised in Vancouver BC, Started puffin Weed in 1966′ age 12, My Buddies Older Brother went down to 4th. ave in Kitsilano and scored off the hippies….back then it was all Compressed Kilos of seed weed Mexican,
Seemed like they just tossed in handfuls of seeds in the bricks, we even found Peyote buttons in them….Then Some sensimilla made its way up Gorraro, Yucatan Panama even Acapulco, then different kinds of Columbian Gold Chocolate. There was actually homegrown weed being sold here in the early ’70s it was pounds and pounds of leaf with no bud in it…This gave homegrown a bad name that took many years to break out from. The Jamaican came in so hard-pressed we would heat it up with microwave to get it apart, bout that time the odd bit of super Californian bud was sneaking its way up …and some Maui Wowie made its way across the Pacific from Hawaii into Van. Then the untied Thai was coming in massive loads on mother ships …there was one load that was in vac-packed kilos with paper tags in them with an Eagle on it and it was the kill …lol…Outdoor finally cleaned up its act got organized and up to the times and started pumping out seedless bud …then around 1984//85 people slowly started growing indoor weed here, and It’s popularity took off like wildfire. In the beginning, LB.’s were going for 36 hun. The last big load of untied Thai came in about that time and didn’t do to well the indoor was all the rage. As the years passed if was all indoor and outdoor which kinda peaked at around 23 and then the teens …when 9-11 happened in 2001 the boarders tightened up and we came to a grinding halt on the exports south which caused a huge glut and prices fell dramatically ….In the past couple years to now, the outdoor hit an all-time low around 500/lb and the indoor anywhere from 900 to mid-range kushes etc around 12-14 hun and the high ends /Trip.s up to 17 & 18 hun/lb….
…Then there is the “”Turn Hashish into Ashe’s”” Saga … But I’ll save something for tomorrow … East Van Guy.
Awesome story Albert what a read thanks for posting that here! Please do share more when you can ?
legendary historian and storyteller!
Yea. . . great story.. . wish your wrote more ?
Yo, awesome story and basically all true old timer. Your awesome dude! Keep on telling!
that was nice. awesome concept for a podcast.
We started in high school with Mexican weed that had a high concentration, also, of seeds. Then came “sinsemilla” from Mexico which was easier to roll and of better quality, coming in from San Diego in kilos. We were then treated to indoor growers in 1971, one growing an African strain that had black, sticky buds that oozed when squeezed (never got to smoke it tho) and one who took the Santa Marta Gold seeds and produced a variety of outdoor and indoor buds, some being called laughing weed as we could not stop laughing when smoking and others that just tasted so nice that those Colombian seeds were the rage. One friend of a friend was arrested in S.F. for trafficking coke and called us, instead of his lawyer, cuz his experimental cross breeding in Oregon of all the Humboldt county seeds he collected, some with Hawaiian strains in the mix, were more important to him to keep from the DEA. We were treated to all those cross breeds as he put a bud and respective seeds in baggies with notes about their origins. We rolled joints and tasted the changes in strains as we smoked down the reefers. All the while, thai weed in stick form came with Panama Red and Alcupulco Gold. And then the bear cage hash was found by a hunter, or two, as the story goes, smuggled in square tubed bear caged, three i believe, and one broke open, losing both bear(s) and cargo. The hash was almost black with opium white streaks in the compressed fingers.
a lot of them good old school strains are gone now. i guess im very lucky to have some 1970s original colombian gold seeds still left
Landrace cannabis seeds list of pure landrace sativa and landrace indica strains to buy in 2021. While many old-school landrace strains are hard to find
Landrace Strains: The Complete Guide To These Rare Strains
When it comes to cannabis, variety really is the spice of life. From Fruity Pebbles to Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies, there always seems to be a strain for every occasion. But did you know that all the strains we have today trace back to a handful of original cannabis plant types known as landrace strains?
It’s true. In fact, botanists can trace the entire cannabis lineage back to an original landrace strain in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We know — mind blown, right?
So what is a landrace strain, specifically? What makes them unique? And should you drop everything, sell your car, and trek to the back of beyond just to try one?
In this article, the experts at Honest Marijuana will answer those questions and tell you everything you need to know about the rare landrace strains.
An Extremely Brief History Of Cannabis
Historical documents from as far back as 2900 B.C.E. (before common era) and archaeological evidence from various regions indicate that cannabis was already in use during the Neolithic period in China.
That means humans could have been smoking weed as far back as 10,000 B.C.E.!
Actually, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Our ancient stoner ancestors probably consumed cannabis as an edible or as a weed tea. It probably wasn’t until later that some ganja genius got it in his or her head to inhale the smoke of a burning pot plant.
We really don’t know for sure about cannabis use, though, because Wikipedia didn’t exist back then and no one wrote anything down (they probably forgot because they were stoned off their weed tea).
Cannabis genetics are a different thing entirely. Botanists don’t need written records to do some pretty amazing things, like trace all the cannabis strains that we know about today back to single plant variety that first developed in the Hindu Kush region of what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Keep in mind that this area was a no-man’s land between Indian and Chinese civilizations way back then. But it’s not hard to imagine an intrepid Chinese explorer stumbling upon a crop of wild cannabis in this region, eating it, burning it, or just using the fibers for something, thereby kicking off our current marijuana revolution.
From that earliest discovery, mankind took cannabis wherever they went and the plant spread outside the Kush and China to Russia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and even parts of North America.
Through the intervening years, ganja growers have combined strain after strain of cannabis plants in order to produce different results.
Some growers wanted the plant to grow in cooler climates. Some growers wanted the plant to grow in warmer climates. Some growers wanted to isolate a particular flavor. That led to the production of the myriad strains we have now.
But everything can be traced back to that one original strain and the handful of landrace strains that followed.
What Is A Landrace Strain?
A landrace strain is a variety of cannabis plant that has less diluted DNA than other strains of cannabis. That means landrace strains have not been crossbred with another variety of cannabis.
To take the distinction even further, landrace strains are usually indigenous to a certain part of the world (meaning they have adapted to the environment of a specific geographic location). And since these landrace strains are the original cannabis plant from that area, descendants from those strains often bear part of the region’s name (e.g., Kandy Kush, Durban Thai, Super Lemon Haze).
Let’s think of it this way for clarification: The original strain that developed in the Hindu Kush so many thousands of years ago was a wild species.
Caveman potheads took seeds from that wild species and planted them in various parts of the world in the thousands of years between then and now. Those plants that were directly descended from the original species are now known as landrace strains.
From there (in, say, the past 100-200 years), mankind continued to practice selective breeding of the cannabis plant for genetic improvement. That produced the modern hybrid strains we enjoy today.
6 Landrace Strains From Around The World
Here, for your pleasure, is a brief list of six landrace strains from around the world. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It’s just to give you an idea of where that Chem Dog you’re smoking came from:
Hindu Kush, Pakistan
Pure Afghan, Afghanistan
Lamb’s Bread, Jamaica
Acapulco Gold, Mexico
Durban Poison, Africa
Panama Red, Central America
Are Landrace Strains Unique In Some Way?
It’s important to understand that the landrace classification only describes the strain’s genetic purity and indigenous upbringing.
It does not mean that landrace strains will get you higher than a good batch of Blue Dream or cut your anxiety quicker than a high-CBD strain.
In fact, modern strains are much better than landrace strains at generating the effects we’re all looking for (be they recreational or medicinal). That’s because growers have bred the plants for those specific effects.
Landrace strains are not “better” than modern strains, or even really unique in any way. They just have less diluted DNA. They’re closer to the original wild species than anything else we have available today.
To put it in perspective, it’s like comparing the very first car (let’s say it was the Model T for simplicity’s sake) with the newest BMW.
You’re going to enjoy cruising around in the BMW more than you would the Model T — the BMW is comfier, rides better, is easier to start, and goes faster (just to name a few) — but it’s still good to know where that BMW originally came from.
That’s how you can look at landrace strains today. They’re really only useful to historians, scientists, and pot purists.
The one benefit from trying a landrace strain would be experiencing more genuine effects that are closer to those produced by the original cannabis strain. Maybe the high or the medicinal effects were completely different. We just don’t know.
Where Have All The Pure Landrace Strains Gone?
You may be wondering why you haven’t heard about landrace strains before. Where have they all gone?
To answer both questions at the same time: the original landrace strains have been taken out of their native environment and endlessly crossbred with other varieties to produce something new.
When a landrace strain is removed from its indigenous environment (say, Pakistan) and forced to grow elsewhere (say, Mexico), it has to mature in different growing conditions. In response to those new growing conditions, the plant will exhibit new characteristics (e.g., smaller flowers, longer grow time, higher THC).
During that transition from indigenous environment to new growing conditions, some of the characteristics of the original plant will be lost. To get those characteristics back, you’d have to return the plant to its native environment.
Even then, the “purity” would be in question because you’ve grown a plant in a different location (Mexico) — producing slightly different characteristics — and then tried to return the seed to the place where its grandparent plant came from (Pakistan).
See how quickly things can get murky and diluted? It’s enough to make your head swim and your eyes go googly (even without taking a toke). That’s why we recommend not thinking about it too deeply.
It’s enough just to know that landrace strains exist. You don’t have to get intimate with the subject. Just give a polite ‘sup nod as you pass by on your way to the local dispensary for a dime bag of Yoda OG.
Should You Try A Landrace Strain?
Our answer to questions like these is usually a resounding, “Yes!”
There are a few times when we have to say no — like, should you make your own THC-O-Acetate or CO2 cannabis oil — but, for the most part, it never hurts to try.
That said, don’t cash in your life savings for the chance to puff a landrace strain. You’ll probably be disappointed. Modern strains are often better at producing the recreational or medicinal effects that you’re looking for.
Remember, landrace strains aren’t stronger, more potent, or better in some way. They’re just less diluted (genetically speaking) than other strains.
And, honestly, even that’s debatable given how much time has passed since the discovery of the original landrace strain and man’s tendency to crossbreed plants to make them grow “better.”
It’s good to know about landrace strains, but we seriously doubt they’re going to be the next big thing in cannabis consumption unless scientists find something in their DNA that cures cancer better than Rick Simpson oil or completely cures anxiety and depression.
You’re better off using organic, pesticide-free marijuana than spending your hard-earned money on something that claims to be a landrace strain.
Fun fact: all of the cannabis we have today traces back to a handful of landrace strains. Honest Marijuana’s experts tell you all about these rare strains.