Editor's note: This article has been reviewed and updated for accuracy in 2026. Every other day a new cannabis strain with a new name shows up. Strain names for marijuana have become baffling, due in large part to the fact that they don't convey much more than a marketing message. Every plant with purple leaves isn't Purple Haze, and every skunky sativa isn't Sour Diesel. However, irrespective of a weed strain's particular name – or that name's accuracy or origins – each plant's buds and byproducts have specific properties that make them unique. All Great Names Have Great Origin Stories Owing to the legal landscape of cannabis all over the world, most current strains that are found have been hybridized through selective breeding by breeders. Landrace strains are the exception. They're cultivars of cannabis that have never been crossed and have evolved naturally due to continued exposure to elements in their natural environment. In the early days, cannabis was just cannabis. Then, travelers brought landrace strains from different parts of the world back to breeding meccas like Amsterdam and the American West Coast. These new breeds were named after their country of origin. Early on before widespread domestic cultivation many canna