Cannabis ruderalis

Cannabis ruderalis is a lesser known subspecies of cannabis that is the sister of the more famous cannabis indica and sativa. It is thought to originate from the rugged landscapes of east Russia and subsequently spread into the mountainous regions of China and Mongolia as a wild plant. The name originates form the Latin term ruderal meaning rubble. It is a testament to this plants resilience and hardiness. It can grow in the harshest environments and is often the first plant to take into the land after a disturbance or the removal of competition.

Much like sativa and indicas, the ruderalis strain can be interbred freely to capture the best qualities of the various subspecies of cannabis into one awesome hybrid. However, ruderalis is not often known for its THC content, but has two other qualities that are often sought after by breeders. These are the previously mentioned “weedy” resilience and its ability to produce flowers based on age rather than light cycles (= autoflowering). It is very unlikely you will find a pure ruderalis on the market, but its breeding with sativas and indicas allows for the conception of autoflowering hybrids that are resilient to most conditions.

This makes strains with ruderalis a great choices for novice cultivators who need a forgiving plant to grow. It also makes them a great choice for more experienced cultivators who do not have the time that they would like to invest into the care of their crops, or guerrilla growers who are looking to grow some crops in a rough, abandoned location.

At Zambeza we have produced many autoflowering seeds with ruderalis to cater to this large audience, with a multitude of options and potential highs. These include Critical Kush XL Autoflowering, a strong all-rounder for the commercial cultivator; Northern Light XL Autoflowering, for an intense cerebral experience and Blueberry Autoflowering, a great choice for the medical user. The list goes on, we have something to suit everyone in an automatic variation, perfect for those of you who just don’t have the time for full time care.

Whilst ruderalis does not have a high THC content it is known to have a significan higher level of CBD.

Ruderalis is traditionally used in shamanistic rituals around Mongolia and recognized historically for its medicinal properties. The oldest record being from over 2400 years ago. A hemp bag containing seeds thought to be cannabis ruderalis have been found in an ancient grave in Mongolia, implicating it in the culture and tradition of ancient Mongolian culture. It is still used to this day in the folk medicine treatment of depression in Russian and Mongolia. Research further into the matter funded by the Mongolian Academy of Science has found that sativas and ruderalis were traditionally used to achieve a shamanistic trance like state during rituals.

As you can see, ruderalis has a long and interesting past, it further goes to show its utilization as a medicine. The result of the qualities is a subspecies of cannabis that is often overlooked but still has strong use in today’s breeding habits. Even here at Zambeza we have recognized the potential and significance of ruderalis and harnessed it in many of our strains. An autoflowering strain is well worth your time and should be tried at least once, even if just to see what it is like to grow a strain with very minimal effort.