Lineage
Definition: Lineage is the family tree of a cannabis strain, listing its parents and often its grandparents and earlier ancestors. Breeders write it with an x between parents, for example Parent A x Parent B, with the mother usually named first. Lineage hints at growth habits, flowering time and aroma, but does not guarantee them.
How Lineage works
Reading a lineage is like reading a pedigree. A strain listed as an indica-heavy Kush crossed with a fast, fruity hybrid will probably land somewhere between them on height, finish time and smell. The more you know about each parent, the better you can predict the child.
Notation you will see
- x: a cross. Mother x Father, by convention.
- F2, F3: how many sibling-cross generations a line has been through.
- BX1, BX2: backcross generations toward one parent.
- S1: a selfed line, made by pollinating a plant with its own feminized pollen.
- Cut or clone-only: a specific plant kept alive by cuttings, often noted in quotes or with a nickname.
Limits of lineage
Some breeders keep parents secret, and others list a lineage that cannot be verified. Older strain histories often rest on stories, not records. Genetic testing has shown that some well-known strain names do not match their claimed parents. Use lineage as a guide, then confirm with spec data and grow reports. If a seller cannot say where a strain came from, lean harder on its other specs. Two seeds with the same lineage are still different genotypes and can grow differently.