Synonyms:
Genetics: Unknown, likely Cardamom Mountains Landrace
Type: Point of origin, open pollinated
Style: Ganja, compressed seeded flowers
Farmer: Undisclosed
Sourcing: Éloïse (2022)
Village(s): Undisclosed
District: Tatai
Province: Koh Kong
Area: Damrei Range
Region: Western Cambodia
Appellation: Cardamom Mountains
Country: Cambodia
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Cultivation Details:
Regional Planting: September
Regional Harvest: January-March
Height: 1-3m
Classification: Unknown, NLD type landrace population
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Description:
Tatai cannabis is an increasingly rare landrace expression from the Cardamom Mountains, traditionally cultivated in small, hidden clearings along the Tatai River and deep forest interiors. The plants exhibit classic Southeast Asian sativa morphology, with long, slender branches, airy bud structures, and an abundance of resin glands.
Aromatically, Tatai cannabis features woody, herbal, and spicy overtones, often carrying citrus and floral hints characteristic of Cambodian landraces. The smoke is smooth but expansive, producing a long-lasting clear-headed, cerebral high—a trait long prized by smugglers supplying the domestic and Thai markets.
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Context:
Koh Kong province, wedged between the ocean and the Cardamom Mountains, was completely isolated from the rest of Cambodia until the early 2000s. The construction of paved roads linking Koh Kong to the national highway system and the subsequent opening of the Hat Lek border crossing into Thailand marked the beginning of a massive shift in the region’s cannabis trade.
For decades, cannabis cultivated in the Tatai River area and throughout the Cardamom Mountains was smuggled into Thailand via Chantaburi Province using a network of remote jungle trails. These hidden routes allowed generations of Khmer growers to transport compressed landrace ganja into Thailand, where demand remained high.
However, eradication campaigns intensified in the 2000s, forcing nearly all traditional cannabis growers to either cease operations or relocate. Many families migrated to Takeo and Kompong Som, where they continued cultivating for the Vietnamese and domestic tourist market.
Today, finding good quality, locally grown landrace cannabis from Tatai or anywhere in the Cardamom Mountains is becoming nearly impossible. The region’s dense forests have been cleared for plantations, Chinese-backed development projects, and national park conservation efforts, displacing the last remaining growers and severing a centuries-old trade route.
The Tatai cannabis landrace is on the brink of disappearing, mirroring a broader trend seen across Cambodia’s traditional cannabis-producing regions.
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Accession Details:
Tatai General Population (2022)
Notes: Collected by Éloïse
Type: General population, domesticate landrace
Altitude: 200-400m
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Current Status:
The Tatai landrace is nearly extinct. Traditional cultivation no longer exists at scale in Koh Kong, and what little remains is hidden deep in the mountains.
Extremely limited seed stock was given to our patreon from the 2022 accession, and a return expedition is urgently needed to document any surviving plants.
Support our preservation efforts by joining us on Patreon!
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Tatai
According to the Single Convention on Narcotic drugs signed in Vienna in 1961, the possession, importation and traffic of hemp seeds are not subject to regulation. This treaty expressly excludes cannabis seeds from the list of narcotic substances that are subject to international oversight. However, while the possession of hemp seeds is not a criminal offense in France, the cultivation of cannabis can result in administrative and penal sanctions as stipulated by Article 222-35 of the Penal Code. Zomia Collective S.A.R.L. carries no responsibility for the misuse of any products sold to users. Zomia Cannabis Collective store, and its domains, remain compliant with French law.
