Almost every commercial cannabis plant today is a hybrid. The clean indica/sativa split that 1970s breeders worked with no longer maps cleanly to modern lines.

The traditional labels
Indica
  • Short, bushy, wide fan leaves
  • Faster finish (8–9 weeks)
  • Originally from the Hindu Kush region
  • Marketed as "body high"
Sativa
  • Tall, lanky, narrow leaves
  • Slower finish (10–14 weeks)
  • Originally equatorial — Africa, Mexico, Southeast Asia
  • Marketed as "head high"

What to look at instead

  • Terpene profile (gas, fruit, citrus, floral, woody, etc.)
  • Total cannabinoid content and ratio
  • Reported effect from people who actually smoked it
  • Finish time — useful for your garden, not your buzz