I will never forget the first time I saw purple marijuana. A girl I used to hangout with when I was a teenager told me that she had some Purple Kush, and that I had to smoke it with her. She kept it in a non-see-through jar, and I vividly remember when she pulled out a nug, my mind was blown. I had never seen purple marijuana prior to that, and to be honest, I was skeptical that it would actually be purple until I seen it. But sure enough, the nug was dark purple, smelled like a Cypress Hill concert, and was sparkling with trichome glory.
Purple marijuana strains are highly desirable in my circle of friends. I get asked all the time if I know where to find purple marijuana, and I also get asked all the time what makes the marijuana purple. Below is a good explanation from our friends at Sensi Seeds:
For many years, the only purple varieties of cannabis were those that had been grown outdoors and subjected to cold conditions. Many strains of cannabis purple to some extent when exposed to cold; now, selective breeding programs have yielded cannabis genetics that are purple even in normal environmental conditions.
Anthocyanins are a group of around 400 water-soluble pigment molecules that due to their structure and biosynthesis are classed as flavonoids, and appear red, purple or blue according to their pH (in acidic pH levels they appear more red, in neutral conditions purple, and in alkaline more blue). Flavonoids are generally yellow in appearance, hence their name, which is etymologically derived from the Latin for “yellow”, flavus, and does not indicate any association with flavour. In fact, flavonoids are usually extremely bitter, and are generally associated with pigmentation.
Next time you are smoking a purple strain with a friend, feel free to explain to them why the marijuana is purple. You will look like a marijuana expert!
