Kush, OG, Haze, Diesel, Cookies, Runtz. Strain names can sound random, but many of them are family names. A word like "Kush" or "OG" tells you where a strain's genetics come from and gives you a hint about its aroma. Once you know the major families, a cannabis menu starts to read like a family tree. Here's a guide to the names you'll see most, and where to find them at Local Roots.
What is a strain family?
Cannabis breeders create new strains by crossing two parent plants. When a strain becomes famous, breeders keep crossing it, and its name gets passed down the line. That's how one standout plant turns into a whole family of strains with a shared name, a shared history and often a shared aroma.
Even within one strain, every grower works from their own plant, or "cut." SFV OG, for example, is a variation of OG Kush rather than a separate cross (Verilife). That's why the same strain name can look, smell and taste a little different from one farm to the next.
Strain families at a glance
| Family | Where it comes from | Aroma notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kush | Landrace cannabis from the Hindu Kush mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan | Sweet sandalwood, woodsy |
| OG | OG Kush, which most stories trace to Florida in the early 1990s | Dank and skunky, with sour lemon and spice |
| Chem | Chemdog, grown from seeds traded at a 1991 Grateful Dead show | The root of the Diesel line |
| Diesel | Sour Diesel, a 1990s New York legend from the Chemdog line | Pungent fuel with sour citrus |
| Haze | California in the 1960s and 70s, later refined in the Netherlands | Sharp, fruity and skunky |
| Skunk | Skunk #1, bred in the 1970s from Afghani, Acapulco Gold and Colombian Gold | Classic skunky cannabis |
| Cookies | Girl Scout Cookies, released in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2010 | Earthy and sweet, like fresh-baked cookies |
| Gelato and Runtz | Descendants of the Cookies family | Sweet and creamy, candy and grape with a little gas |
| Garlic and GMO | GMO, a cross of Chemdawg and Girl Scout Cookies | Savory garlic with a dank finish |
Sources: Verilife, Verilife, Amherst Bulletin, Weedmaps, Leafly, Verilife, GreenState, Leafly, GreenState.
Kush: from the Hindu Kush mountains
Kush strains take their name from the Hindu Kush, a mountain range that stretches across Pakistan and Afghanistan. Landrace cannabis from this region, meaning plants that grew there naturally for generations, is known for high resin content. Hindu Kush is prized by hash makers for its thick coat of trichomes, and it's known for a sweet, sandalwood aroma (Verilife).
These Central Asian landraces are some of the most bred strains in the world, and many popular hybrids trace back to them (Verilife). Many modern strains carry "Kush" in their name as a nod to that mountain heritage.
At Local Roots: Nimbus Cranberry Kush, Title Town Kush and Thai Berry Kush Cake; INSA Springfield Kush; RYTHM Kush Mountain; Harbor House Collective Kosher Kush; and Sesh'n Ghost Kush pre-rolls.
OG: the OG Kush family
OG Kush is one of the most famous strains ever grown. Most stories trace it to Florida in the early 1990s, before it made its way to California. Its exact parents are part of cannabis lore, with Chemdawg, Lemon Thai and Hindu Kush among the most-cited ingredients (Verilife).
What does "OG" stand for? Popular theories include "Original Gangster" and "Ocean Grown," but today it's widely read as simply "original." OG Kush is known for a dank, skunky aroma with a little sour lemon and spice. It started an OG movement that's still going, with relatives like Tahoe OG, bred from OG Kush near Lake Tahoe, and Ghost OG (Verilife).
At Local Roots: Nimbus Hell Raiser OG flower and pre-roll packs, Road Trip Tahoe OG pre-rolls, and &Shine Fire OG disposables.
Chem: a strain with Massachusetts roots
Chemdog has one of the best origin stories in cannabis, and it runs through Massachusetts. In 1991, Greg Krzanowski met a fellow grower in a Grateful Dead concert parking lot and later received an ounce of buds called "Chem Weed." Four of the 13 seeds in that bag became Chemdog and its siblings. Krzanowski, who graduated from Northampton High School, earned his "Chemdog" nickname growing in Northampton (Amherst Bulletin).
Chemdog went on to become the parent of several legendary strains, including Sour Diesel (Amherst Bulletin). It's also one of the most-cited ingredients in OG Kush and one of the parents of GMO.
At Local Roots: &Shine Chemdawg cartridges, Local Roots Organic Chem Chillz live rosin and live hash rosin cartridges, Nimbus Lemon Thai x Chem D pre-roll 3-packs, Farmer's Cut Chem Jealousy, Road Trip Chem Conez pre-roll 12-packs and Sesh'n Chem Cola pre-rolls.
Diesel: the East Coast classic
Sour Diesel is one of the strains that put East Coast cannabis on the map. It rose to fame in New York in the 1990s. The most widely cited lineage pairs Chemdog 91 with Super Skunk, and it lives up to its name with a pungent fuel and chemical aroma, followed by sour citrus, earth, herbs and pepper (Weedmaps).
At Local Roots: Nature's Heritage Lilac Diesel flower and bubble hash, Nimbus Diesel Therapy live rosin cartridges, and Jeeter Strawberry Sour Diesel infused pre-rolls.
Haze: a California legend
Haze has roots in coastal California in the 1960s. A pair of growers known as the Haze Brothers cultivated it in Santa Cruz in the early 1970s, and its ancestry is said to include landrace strains from Thailand, Mexico and Colombia. Haze genetics later traveled to the Netherlands, where Dutch breeders built on them (Leafly).
The family has a strong trophy case. Super Silver Haze won the High Times Cannabis Cup three years in a row, in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Super Lemon Haze, a cross of Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze, won in 2007 and 2008. Many Haze strains are known for sharp, fruity, skunky flavors (Leafly).
At Local Roots: Nimbus Masshole Mango Haze disposables and Super Silver Haze Double Diamond disposables, Super Lemon Haze from &Shine and INSA, and Aura Strawberry Sour Haze flower.
Skunk: the classic cannabis aroma
Skunk #1 was bred in the 1970s from three landraces: Acapulco Gold and Colombian Gold, plus Afghani. It has a pungent, skunky scent that's unmistakably classic cannabis, and it became the genetic base for countless hybrids, including Super Skunk and Lemon Skunk (Verilife). Super Skunk shows up again in the most-cited lineage of Sour Diesel, and Lemon Skunk is a parent of Super Lemon Haze.
At Local Roots: Nimbus Jack Skunk #1 pre-rolls, Local Roots Organic Jack Skunk hash-infused pre-rolls and Aura Local Skunk pre-rolls.
Cookies, Gelato and Runtz: the dessert family
Girl Scout Cookies, often shortened to GSC or Cookies, was released in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2010 by rapper Berner and his partner Jai. It's a cross that includes OG Kush and Durban Poison, and it smells earthy and sweet, like fresh-baked cookies (GreenState). Cookies became the parent of a whole dessert menu, including Sunset Sherbet and Animal Cookies (GreenState).
Gelato is a sweet, creamy blend of Thin Mint GSC and Sunset Sherbet, and it was Leafly's Strain of the Year in 2018. Gelato then became a parent of Runtz, widely considered a cross of Gelato and Zkittlez. Runtz debuted at the Emerald Cup in California in 2017, and growers describe its aroma as candy, grapes and gas (Leafly).
That's one reason so many menu names sound like a bakery case, with Cake, Cookies, Sherbet and Gelato all over today's menus.
At Local Roots: Local Roots Organic Peyote Cookies pre-rolls; Lemon Cherry Gelato from Above and Nature's Heritage; Farmer's Cut Pink Lemonade Gelato; Nimbus Super Lemon Gelato infused pre-rolls; &Shine Gelato cartridges; RYTHM Runtz Cake; Nimbus Papaya Runtz pre-rolls; and Sunday Ripped Off Runtz pre-roll packs.
Garlic and GMO: the savory side
Not every strain smells like dessert. GMO stands for "garlic, mushroom, onion," and it delivers an almost overpowering garlic aroma followed by a dank finish. It was bred by Mamiko Seeds from Girl Scout Cookies and Chemdawg, so Chemdawg shows up on both sides of its family tree (GreenState). You'll spot garlic in plenty of strain names on today's menus.
At Local Roots: RYTHM GMO flower and live rosin cartridges, Dogwalkers GMO pre-roll 5-packs, U4EA Farms Garlic Breath live rosin, Local Roots Organic Green River Garlic live rosin cartridges, Farmer's Cut Platinum Garlic and Harbor House Collective Garlic Drip.
How the families connect
Many of these families share relatives. Here's how some of the biggest names link together:
- Chemdog is a parent of Sour Diesel and GMO, and one of the most-cited ingredients in OG Kush.
- OG Kush is part of the family tree of Girl Scout Cookies.
- Girl Scout Cookies leads to Sunset Sherbet, Gelato, Animal Cookies and GMO.
- Gelato is a parent of Runtz.
- Skunk #1 leads to Super Skunk and Lemon Skunk, which show up in the family trees of Sour Diesel and Super Lemon Haze.
How to use strain names when you shop
- Follow your nose. If you love a certain aroma, like fuel, citrus or dessert-sweet, look for other strains from the same family.
- Try a family across formats. Many families show up in flower, pre-rolls, vapes and concentrates. Want to know how concentrate types differ? See our guide to concentrate textures.
- Compare growers. The same strain from two farms can be a fun side-by-side.
- Check the label for strength. A strain name tells you about family and aroma, not potency.
- Ask a budtender. Our team can point you to a family you'll enjoy.
Stock changes often, so check the live Fitchburg menu or Sturbridge menu for what's on the shelf today.
Frequently asked questions
What does "OG" mean in a strain name?
"OG" points back to OG Kush, one of the most influential strains in cannabis history. Nobody agrees on what the letters first stood for. Popular theories include "Original Gangster" and "Ocean Grown," but today OG is widely read as "original."
What does "Kush" mean in a strain name?
Kush comes from the Hindu Kush, a mountain range in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Cannabis from this region is known for heavy resin and was prized by hash makers. Many modern strains carry Kush in their name as a nod to that heritage.
Why do some strains smell like diesel or gas?
Sour Diesel, from the Chemdog line, is famous for a pungent fuel and chemical aroma with sour citrus behind it. Gassy notes also show up in newer strains like Runtz.
What is the Chemdog strain?
Chemdog is a legendary strain that started with a handful of seeds from a bag of buds traded in a Grateful Dead concert parking lot in 1991. Its grower, Greg "Chemdog" Krzanowski, got his start in Northampton, Massachusetts. Chemdog went on to parent strains like Sour Diesel.
What does GMO stand for in cannabis?
GMO stands for "garlic, mushroom, onion," a nod to its savory aroma. It's a cross of Chemdawg and Girl Scout Cookies bred by Mamiko Seeds, and it's sometimes called GMO Cookies.
What strains are in the Cookies family?
The Cookies family starts with Girl Scout Cookies, released in 2010 from a cross that includes OG Kush and Durban Poison. Its descendants include Sunset Sherbet, Animal Cookies, GMO and Gelato, and Gelato in turn is a parent of Runtz.
Are two strains with the same name always the same?
Not exactly. Each grower works from their own plant, or "cut," so the same strain can look, smell and taste a little different from one farm to the next. That's part of what makes trying different growers fun.
Does a strain name tell you how strong it is?
No. A strain name tells you about its family and aroma, not its potency. Check the THC percentage on the label for strength, and ask a budtender if you'd like help comparing.
For adults 21+ only. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Keep cannabis away from children and pets.