Hybrid

A cannabis plant that is the result of crossbreeding two other plants. Cannabis breeders often create hybrids to combine characteristics of the parent plants into one strain.

What is a hybrid marijuana strain?

A hybrid is any cannabis strain that results from the breeding of two other plants. Commonly, two different strains will be crossed to produce a new one, and the name will reflect it: Super Silver Haze crossed with Lemon Skunk becomes Super Lemon Haze. 

New cannabis strains come out all the time, reflecting trends in tastes, flavors, and effects. If a strain is popular one year, you will often find that strain crossed into several other strains soon after. An example is “dessert strains,” such as Gelato and Wedding Cake, which both have GSC as a parent. 

What is the difference between indica, sativa, and hybrid marijuana strains?

Indicas originally grew in cold, northern climates and sativas in warm, equatorial climates. Over time, as humans migrated across the world and brought cannabis with them, these plant types began to mix. 

Today, strains have been hybridized so much it is next to impossible to find a true indica or sativa; all strains are hybrid, mixing the two types to some degree. 

The indica/sativa/hybrid system offers consumers a simple way to choose between different types of cannabis, however, the downside of this naming system is that it might not actually help someone find the strain that’s right for them, as effects are determined by a strain’s chemical profile, not whether it’s an indica or sativa—two indicas might lead to different effects, and the same strain can affect two people differently.