Tashkurgan

Description

Genetics: Afghan Cannabis Landrace
Sourcing: The Real Seed Company, Balkh Province, Northern Afghanistan, Winter 2018
Purpose: Charas (sieved resin)
Latitude: 36° N
Harvest: October to early December
Height: c. 1 – 4 meters outdoors
Characteristics: Resinous, aromatic, CBD, broad to narrow leaflets, black currant scents
Grow Type: Outdoor, greenhouse, or indoor

This Afghan cannabis landrace was collected in Tashkurgan, an ancient centre of cannabis culture in Balkh Province, northern Afghanistan in winter 2018, shortly before the Taliban regime was allowed to retake control of Afghanistan.

Tashkurgan is a onetime ‘Silk Road’ emporium that lies to the north of the Hindu Kush. Its other name is Kholm. Farmers here are renowned for their skill in charas production, and the farmer from whom these seeds were obtained is regarded as a master of the art.

Under the Taliban, these farmers are now under acute pressure from the government, as is anyone who enjoys cannabis – which means gathering to smoke cannabis at a chillum house marks you out for persecution.

Historically, north Afghan hashish farmers would leave harvest of their crops until late, well into senescence, for the desired resin, as is the optimal practice when cultivating the Mazar-i-Sharif strain. That meant harvesting with the onset of winter in early December.

Specific qualities of live plants at the source site in Tashkurgan were noted by the collector, namely intense black currant and berry fruit aromas. These transferred to the sieved resin.

Under native conditions, the typical leaflet width of this Afghan domesticate tends to the narrower end of the spectrum, but broad leaflets are not unusual. Within cultivated populations from the wider Hindu Kush region, leaflet widths range from broad to narrow, as in authentic Chitrali and Mazari strains.

As in any cannabis landrace, CBD is present in most plants, sometimes in high quantities, and rarer cannabinoids such as THCV and CBDV are likely to be exhibited in some individuals.

For collectors, these seeds are invaluable. They were sourced at some personal risk and with the generous help of Afghans, whose local knowledge was crucial.

NOTE: The current stock is a reproduction of the original accession through open pollination.