By DJ Short
Most of the lines of cannabis offered today to medical users —and to cultivators, as seeds or clones— are hybrids. There are very few pure landrace varieties available, and the few that are tend to be of lower quality/desirability when grown indoors. There seem to be more indica-leaning varietals than sativa, as the indica lines tend to be easier (and quicker) to “coax” into producing marketable qualities.
Which characteristics determine the difference between sativa and indica? Many look to leaf shape/structure as an indicator, but I have witnessed some wide-leaved sativa and some narrow-leaved indica. There may be some relation between the number of leaflets (or leaf-blades or “fingers”) per leaf and sativa/indica makeup, with sativa having more blades per leaf, especially in the late vegetative stage of growth. Sativa generally tends to be taller, indica shorter, again with exceptions to the rule.
