The essentials in 30 seconds: strain names come from the world of cannabis breeding, not from any official nomenclature. They refer to a genetic line — a cross whose traits have been stabilised — and, by extension, to an expected aroma profile. None of these names is registered or protected: two "Amnesias" from two growers aren't identical. The name points you in a direction; it doesn't guarantee anything. What's binding is the lab report for the batch.
A strain name is a lineage name
A variety — a cultivar — is born from a cross between two parents, repeated and selected until the desired traits are passed on reliably: the plant's structure, flowering time, bud density and, above all, its terpene profile.
The name is given by the breeder. There is no official register of hemp varieties by trade name: these aren't protected designations. That's the first thing to understand, and it explains everything else.
Where these names actually come from
The categories are always the same, and they're easy to read once you know them.
The dominant aroma. This is the easiest category to read. Lemon OG for citrus, Mimosa for its floral, zesty side, Blue Dream for its blue-fruit notes. The name tells you what your nose is going to find.
Texture or appearance. Gorilla Glue owes its name to how extremely resinous and sticky its buds are — so sticky they cling to the harvester's scissors. Crystal Kush and Frozen refer to the frosted look of the trichomes.
Geographic origin, real or claimed. Durban Poison refers to Durban, in South Africa; Amnesia and Panama carry traces of well-travelled lineages. Careful, though: these names tell you about ancestry, not about where the plant comes from today. A Durban Poison grown in Europe is still a Durban Poison by its genetics.
Lineage. The suffix OG or the word Kush signal a link to major families in cannabis breeding. Haze refers to a family of crosses that take a long time to flower, with distinctive aromas.
Pure marketing. Let's be honest: some names have no logic beyond being memorable. They tell you nothing at all.
What a name doesn't tell you
Three things — and they're the three that matter when you buy.
It doesn't tell you the cannabinoid content. That depends on the batch, the growing and the harvest. Two batches of the same strain can be noticeably different. That's why we don't display any percentage on our product pages: it would vary from one batch to the next, and only the analysis of the batch you receive is authoritative. One thing never changes, whatever the name: every product we sell contains less than 0.3% THC, the legal limit in France.
It doesn't tell you how it was grown. Indoor, greenhouse or outdoor: that's a separate piece of information from the name, and it makes a big difference to the look and the aromatic intensity. We show it separately on every product page.
It doesn't guarantee consistency between sellers. Since nothing is registered, each grower selects their own phenotype from the lineage. The Gorilla Glue from two different shops will share a family and an aromatic tendency, not an identity.
How to use it anyway
The name is still a useful tool, as long as you take it for what it is: a shortcut to a family of aromas.
In practice, make a note of what you enjoyed — not just the name, but the strain and the growing method and the seller. It's that trio that's repeatable, not the name on its own. If a greenhouse flower with citrus notes worked for you, look for that profile rather than that name.
For everything else — choosing between indoor and greenhouse, reading terpenes, storing properly — it's all covered in How to choose your CBD flower.
FAQ
Are strain names registered?
No. There's no official register of commercial names for hemp varieties, and these names aren't protected. Each breeder names their lines freely, which is why you find the same names at different growers, with different results.
Are two flowers with the same name identical?
No. They share a lineage and an aromatic tendency, but each grower selects their own phenotype and every batch has its own particularities. The name places a family; it doesn't define a product.
Does the name tell you the strength?
Never. Cannabinoid content depends on the batch, not the name. Only the lab report for the batch you receive gives you that information, and it's the only document the seller is bound by.
What do "OG" and "Kush" mean?
They're lineage markers. Kush refers to a major family in cannabis breeding; OG signals a link to that line. They point to a genetic kinship and an aromatic tendency, not to quality or intensity.
Where can I see the strains available?
The full catalogue is on the CBD flowers page, with the growing method and an aroma description for each strain. The same strains come in a reinforced version on CBDX flowers.
