There are thousands of hybridized weed strains in the world, and if you traced them all back to their true origins, you’d probably end up at Haze. It is the genetic backbone of the world’s best-known sativas. Though an illustrious strain with such an old history, the stories of its origin are unconfirmed and hearsay.
A brief history of Haze
Legend has it that the Original Haze cultivar was developed in Santa Cruz, California, in the early 1970s by two brothers: R. Haze and J. Haze. The brothers crossed a Mexican landrace with a Colombian landrace, which was then crossed with a Thai landrace. The result was a cannabis flower with a complex mix of earthy, citrus, and spicy terpenes. Haze is the single reason we associate sativas with cerebral highs that get you mentally and physically active.
During its conception, the brothers were in contact with David Waston, culturally known as “Sam The Skunkman,” father to the legendary Skunk #1 strain. In his time working with the Haze brothers, Sam came into ownership of the Original Haze genetics.
At some point in the 1980s, Watson moved to Amsterdam and took thousands of seeds with him, including Original Haze. While in Amsterdam, he started working with Neville Schoenmakers, an Australian cannabis breeder and scientist. From there, the Haze torch was passed to Neville, who then used it to breed the famous Neville’s Haze. He also started the Seed Bank, which is now known as Sensi Seeds.
Today, hundreds of Haze strains have been bred, and the name that once referred to a single Haze plant now refers to an entire variety of cultivars. Below, check out seven of the most popular strains that carry its legacy today.
Neville’s Haze
The story of how Neville Schoenmaker got his hands on Haze seeds is truly a mystery. The most-told story — and the one we know above — says he got them from Sam The Skunkman, but there are also stories of Neville saying he got them from the Haze Brothers himself.
Neville bred three main Haze hybrids: Haze A, Haze B, and Haze C. Neville’s Haze is the end result of crossing Haze A with the indica Northern Lights #5, then crossing that strain with Haze C. It is thought to be a happy and giggly high that people love for daytime activities.
Purple Haze
Purple Haze is more than just a Jimi Hendrix song, it’s also one of the Original Haze phenotypes. According to stories by The Skunkman himself, the Haze Brothers had three main Original Haze phenotypes: Purple Haze, Silver Blue Haze, and Lime Green Haze. Obviously, Purple Haze is the most popular of them.
It’s named after its bright purple flowers that give off a sweet, musky terpene smell and taste, followed by a relaxed and euphoric high.
Amnesia Haze
Amnesia Haze was bred by Amsterdam’s Soma Seeds, crossing Thai, Afghani, and Hawaiian landraces. Amnesia Haze has a sweet berry and citrus terpene profile. It is thought to be an uplifting and euphoric strain that’s good for boosting your mood.
Silver Haze
Silver Haze is a classic sativa with two possible origins. One source says it came from Sensi Seeds, crossing Silver Pearl, a strain with Skunk and NL genetics, and Haze. Another source says that it came from the original members of the Green House Seed Company who retooled their own Super Silver Haze and named it “Silver Haze.”
Regardless of how we got Silver Haze, the one thing consumers famously know are its effects. Like many sativas from its time and lineage, Silver Haze provides a cerebral high that energizes consumers.
Lemon Haze
Lemon Haze is a citrus-flavored strain that gives off an uplifting experience. Like many lemon strains, its terpenes produce a high that won’t make you sleepy, but will instead leave you feeling extremely stoned and happy.
Lemon Haze is a cross of Silver Haze and Lemon Skunk. It’s named after its citrusy flavor profile that gives way to a relaxed and happy high that works great for social activities. Much like Lemon G, it has more relaxing effects than people would associate with sativa-dominant Lemon strains. If you smoke too much of it, don’t be surprised if you want to do absolutely nothing afterwards.
In addition to Lemon Haze, there’s also a famous Super Lemon Haze that was bred by crossing Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze. Both Lemon Haze and Super Lemon Haze provide similar highs.
Super Silver Haze
Super Silver Haze is one of my favorite wake-and-bake strains. No matter how groggy I wake up feeling, a few hits and a cup of coffee get me ready to run through a brick wall — or write for the next few hours without needing a single break.
Not to be confused with Silver Haze, Super Silver Haze was bred in the 1980s by Green House Seed Company. It has an earthy and slightly gassy smell to it with a spicy taste. Like many strains of that time, it had genetics from Haze and a Skunk hybrid that was crossed with Northern Lights #5.
In 1998, Green House’s Super Silver Haze won the 11th Cannabis Cup.
Mango Haze
Mango Haze is another Haze hybrid with Haze, Skunk #1, and Northern Lights #5 genetics. It often has an earthy, mango, and citrus terpene profile. The effects usually leave consumers in a relaxed euphoria that works great for managing certain ailments.
There’s also a CBD Mango Haze that many consumers seek for relief from pain and anxiety.
Featured image by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps
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