If you smoke weed then you've probably come across some of the weird and wacky names that are associated with some cannabis strains, though it really is hard to decipher whether or not the names actually mean anything. Heres some more information about cannabis stain names to educate you on what they say about the plant's genetics:
Back in the day, marijuana was just marijuana. Though if a person were to find a variety they liked in a foreign country, they would travel back to their own with it, calling it after its country of origin. For example, Afghan derived from Afghanistan, and Hindu Kush from the mountains between there and Pakistan. People enjoyed these exotic names, and soon enough dealers realised they could sell their product for more money or increase their customer base if they named it after something cool and told people it was from a far-off land - this is how the renamed Mexican Sativa got its new title, Acapulco Gold.
Crossing Strains
Some other reasons for strange weed strain names are to do with the characteristics of the variety itself. Skunk was probably the first strain to be named after a unique quality and, in this case, it was named as such because of the pungent smell that it let off. It was the very first stabilized hybrid and, as a result, lots of others were made after its creation. Cheese was another early variety named for unique characteristics (a savory, cheesy aroma) and White Widow was another, termed because of its thick coat of white resin.
As more and more strains were made by crossing strains, their names took a more formulaic form. Some growers couldn't be bothered to think of something cool, so sometimes they just went with things like Skunk x White Widow - which, while accurate, isnt super interesting. Some growers though, started to combine the names of the strains they had crossed. A great example of this is Hawaiian Snow, named as such after parent strains Hawaiian Sativa and White Widow.
Catchy Names
In today's cannabis market, exotic names still sell. People coming up with new strains are seeking to stand out from the crowd, which is why some new strain names are ridiculous and have nothing to do with the weed's qualities or origins. These names can be totally made up, or a mish mash of weird, unrelated things like brands or past US presidents. Breeders perhaps also to this so as not to reveal too much about the strain's genetics, in order to prevent people from copying them.
All in all, catchy names are cool and I can see why breeders give them to their strains, though sometimes they can be misleading, which is why everyone should keep in mind that names are usually only there for entertainment value - they don't really tell you anything, at least, not anymore.
