№ 08 · CYAN EDITION
Strain lineage: how parents pass on the aroma
28 September 2026 · 4 min read
You recognise a strain by its parents, the way you recognise a relative by the family name. Cross two plants and the offspring takes from both: aroma, effect, plant structure. Look at who the parents are, and the character of a strain is roughly clear before you open the jar.
What is inherited
Terpenes are inherited the same way as leaf shape or bud density. If there is a citrus parent in the lineage, the citrus will almost certainly reach the offspring.
Landraces: where it all began
A landrace is a strain that adapted to its place over centuries with almost no human involvement. They are usually named after their geography: Hindu Kush, Durban, Acapulco.
The genetics of cannabis are traced to the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. From there the plant spread around the world and changed with every climate. All modern hybrids are built from these pure lines, and the word Kush in many strain names points to the same place, the Hindu Kush region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
One tree, many strains
One branch shows how it works. In the early nineties in Florida a grower known as Bubba crossed Chemdawg with a Hindu Kush phenotype, that is, a specific variant of the plant within that strain. That is how OG Kush appeared.
In the early 2010s a California breeder known as Jigga crossed a cut of OG Kush with a Durban line and got Girl Scout Cookies, today simply GSC. From there the tree branches: Gelato is Thin Mint GSC crossed with Sunset Sherbet, and Gelato with Zkittlez gave Runtz. Wedding Cake, Animal Cookies and Sherbet grow from the same tree.
How to read a lineage
A strain's name says less about its parents than it seems. Names are given for colour, smell or strength, and you cannot guess the lineage from them. Look at the line instead: who the mother is, who the father is, and which lines they come from.
AK-47 was released by the Dutch company Serious Seeds in 1992. It was named after the rifle, for its strength from the first draw. Inside is a mix of lines from different ends of the world, and one of them is Thai.
AK-47 combines Colombian, Mexican, Thai and Afghan lines, and behind the fearsome name the effect is more clear and talkative than knock-out.
