Research:2020-04-03/Journal article/a-classification-of-endangered-high-thc-cannabis-cannabis-sativa-subsp-indica-domesticates-and-their-wild-rela

Research record3 April 2020Journal article

A classification of endangered high-THC cannabis (Cannabis sativa subsp. indica) domesticates and their wild relatives

John M. McPartland, Ernest Small

PhytoKeys · 2020

Assigns taxonomic names to the two drug-type forms known as "Sativa" and "Indica", after examining 1100 herbarium specimens and analysing phytochemical and genetic data from the literature. The authors recognise them as Cannabis sativa subsp. indica var. indica (South Asian origin) and var. afghanica (Central Asian origin), with the wild relatives var. himalayensis and var. asperrima. The two domesticates are separated by THC/CBD ratio, terpenoid profile and morphology, and the authors report that widespread introgressive hybridization in the past 50 years has erased differences between hybridized "Sativa" and "Indica" types now available. They call the four taxa critically endangered reservoirs of germplasm in urgent need of conservation.

DOIPDF

Record created 15 October 2026 · maintained by landrace.wiki editors · page history

Published3 Apr 2020

TypeJournal article

VenuePhytoKeys

Year2020

DOI10.3897/phytokeys.144.46700

DOIPDF

2020-04-03 2026-10-15 A classification of endangered high-THC cannabis (Cannabis sativa subsp. indica) domesticates and their wild relatives Journal article Botany John M. McPartland, Ernest Small PhytoKeys 2020 10.3897/phytokeys.144.46700 https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.144.46700 https://phytokeys.pensoft.net/article/46700/download/pdf/ Assigns taxonomic names to the two drug-type forms known as "Sativa" and "Indica", after examining 1100 herbarium specimens and analysing phytochemical and genetic data from the literature. The authors recognise them as Cannabis sativa subsp. indica var. indica (South Asian origin) and var. afghanica (Central Asian origin), with the wild relatives var. himalayensis and var. asperrima. The two domesticates are separated by THC/CBD ratio, terpenoid profile and morphology, and the authors report that widespread introgressive hybridization in the past 50 years has erased differences between hybridized "Sativa" and "Indica" types now available. They call the four taxa critically endangered reservoirs of germplasm in urgent need of conservation.