Ruderalis

Definition

If you have been researching about different cannabis varieties, you will have come across both indica and sativa. Cannabis ruderalis is another, lesser-known, variety (there is an ongoing debate over whether it is, in fact, a species of its own or simply a sub-species).

Ruderalis is a type of cannabis found mostly in Asia and Central/Eastern Europe, where it is known to grow naturally in the wild. It is thought that ruderalis developed as a result of artificially-cultivated hemp plants escaping captivity, and managing to grow in the harsh conditions found in the wild. This is reflected in the physical appearance of the plant. Compared to the short and thick indica and the tall and slender sativa, ruderalis is smaller, very stalky, and more rugged. However, it is increasingly being used by growers as one part of a hybrid combination for several reasons. Firstly, the flowering cycle of ruderalis is not initiated by the photoperiod (as with indica and sativa), and is rather induced as a result of the maturity of the plant. This means that an individual plant which has a shorter lifecycle, shortening down-time between bud harvests. Ruderalis is typically more hardy and stable than indica and sativa, owing to the harsh conditions in which ruderalis originated. These physical attributes make ruderalis an excellent potential bud for hybridization.