Synonyms:
Genetics: Kashmiri Himalayan Landrace
Type: Point of Origin, Open Pollinated
Style: Dry Sift, Charas
Farmer: Various, Feral Plants
Sourcing:
District: Various
Province: Jammu & Kashmir
Area: Kashmir Vale
Region: Western Himalayas
Appellation: Various
Country: India---
Cultivation Details:
Regional Planting: March - April
Regional Harvest: August - October
Height: 1.5-5m
Classification: BLD type landrace population
---
Description:
The Kashmir landrace is one of the oldest and most revered hashish-producing cannabis populations in the Western Himalayas. This region’s landrace cannabis is traditionally cultivated for dry-sift hashish and charas, producing deeply resinous plants with an unmistakable aromatic complexity.
Plants exhibit BLD traits with broader leaflets and more compact structures than those found in higher-altitude Himalayan landraces to the east. Some phenotypes display shorter internodal spacing, deep purple coloration, and exceptionally high resin production, characteristics that have made Kashmiri landraces highly valued in the global hashish trade.
Terpene profiles lean toward rich, spicy, and musky aromas, often with deep sandalwood, cedar, black tea, and dried fruit undertones. The psychoactive effects are potent yet balanced, offering a relaxing, euphoric high with long-lasting cerebral stimulation and a strong body warmth typical of high-altitude, hash-producing landraces.
---
Context:
The Kashmir Vale has been a center of cannabis cultivation and hashish production for centuries, historically supplying markets across Central Asia, India, and the Middle East. Farmers in Kashmir have long selected plants specifically for resin quality, favoring high-yielding, frost-resistant, and intensely fragrant varieties.
Unlike the hand-rubbed charas of Himachal Pradesh, Kashmiri hashish is traditionally produced via dry-sift methods, where resin is separated from dried flowers through silk screens before being pressed into soft, aromatic hashish. This technique, influenced by Persian, Afghan, and Central Asian hash traditions, results in some of the smoothest, most flavorful hashish in the world.
Over the past few decades, conflict, modernization, and legal restrictions have greatly reduced traditional cannabis cultivation in Kashmir. However, hidden mountain valleys, high-altitude terraces, and feral populations still harbor pure landrace genetics, maintained by local farmers, nomadic pastoralists, and wild cannabis populations.
In recent years, environmental and political pressures, combined with the influx of hybrid genetics, have threatened the future of Kashmir’s native landraces. Authentic Kashmiri cannabis is becoming increasingly rare, making conservation efforts more urgent than ever.
---
Accession Details:
---
Current Status:
Traditional Kashmiri hashish production is rapidly declining, with many historic growing regions now abandoned or under strict legal enforcement. Fewer farmers are cultivating the landrace, and the introduction of hybrid genetics poses a growing risk to genetic continuity.
However, isolated valleys, feral populations, and small-scale traditional growers still preserve remnants of the original Kashmiri landrace, making conservation and documentation critical before these genetics are lost.
Join us on Patreon to support efforts in researching, conserving, and reproducing this rare Kashmiri landrace!
---
