# Hybrid

> A hybrid is the offspring of two genetically different parents; almost all modern cannabis is hybrid, built from crosses between landrace-derived and other lines.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hybrid.html
- Also written: hybrids, hybrid strain, hybridisation, hybridization, crossbred
- Glossary category: Genetics and breeding · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A hybrid is the offspring of a cross between genetically different parents. In crop breeding it often means a specific [F1](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/f1.md) between two [inbred lines](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/inbred-line.md); in cannabis it usually just means any cultivar with mixed ancestry.

## In practice

Almost everything on the cannabis market today is a hybrid, often many generations of hybrids crossed together. Modern lines trace back to crosses made from the 1960s on, between [landraces](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/landrace.md) from Afghanistan, Thailand, Mexico, Colombia, India and elsewhere, and later between the hybrids themselves. Only a few outlier landraces remain unmixed.

So "hybrid" on a dispensary label is not a meaningful third category beside indica and sativa. It is the default state of the plant. What matters is documented lineage, selection and test results.

## Don't confuse with

- **F1 hybrid**: a specific cross, usually of inbred parents, with uniform offspring.
- **Polyhybrid**: a hybrid with many different lines in its recent ancestry.
- **Landrace**: a locally adapted traditional population, not a recent cross.

## Myth check

Indica, sativa and "hybrid" describe plant shape at most, not species or effect. Cannabis is one species, *[Cannabis sativa](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabis-sativa.md)* L. (McPartland 2018). See [indica, sativa and ruderalis](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/indica-sativa-ruderalis.md).

## Related terms

[F1](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/f1.md), [Polyhybrid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/polyhybrid.md), [Heterosis](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/heterosis.md), [Cross](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cross.md), [Landrace](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/landrace.md), [Indica](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/indica.md)

## Read more

- [How hybrid 'strains' emerged](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/how-hybrid-strains-emerged.md)
- [Polyhybrids vs landraces: what each gives a breeder](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/polyhybrids-vs-landraces.md)

## Sources

1. McPartland JM. 2018. Cannabis systematics at the levels of family, genus, and species. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 3(1):203-212. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2018.0039
2. Sawler J, Stout JM, Gardner KM, et al. 2015. The genetic structure of marijuana and hemp. PLoS ONE 10(8):e0133292. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0133292