Indica vs sativa vs hybrid: what is the difference?
Indica, sativa and hybrid are tags that people attach to cannabis, and the tag does not say which trait it points at. The authors of the Nature Plants study say breeders, retailers and users routinely assign the Sativa and Indica labels to describe a cultivar's morphology, aromas or psychoactive effects. Hybrid is the third tag, and commercial products carry all three.
The three labels side by side
The table below sets the findings on the first two labels next to the hybrid finding, with the source for each row named in the cell.
| The first two labels | Hybrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Who assigns the word | Routinely assigned by breeders, retailers and users, per the Nature Plants authors | Commercial products are routinely labelled Indica, Hybrid or Sativa, per a 2022 PLOS ONE study |
| What the samples showed | Sativa-labelled and Indica-labelled samples were genetically indistinct on a genome-wide scale | THC-dominant samples labelled Indica, Hybrid and Sativa were highly intermingled, with no obvious segregation by label |
| Link to terpenes | The labels were associated with variation in a small number of terpenes | Check the product listing |
| Botanical names | The everyday labels are not the same as the botanical names for the plant | Check the product listing |
| Where the real numbers sit | The package and the live menu listing | The package and the live menu listing |
What the Nature Plants genetics study measured
The paper is titled Cannabis labelling is associated with genetic variation in terpene synthase genes, and you can read it free on PubMed Central, which archives the Nature Plants study. The team took over 100 cannabis samples quantified for terpene and cannabinoid content and genotyped them for over 100,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms, which are single-letter differences in DNA.
Across all of that DNA, the samples sold under the first two labels did not separate. The terpene amounts the labels tracked are controlled by genetic variation at tandem arrays of terpene synthase genes. The authors also say the everyday labels are not the same as the botanical names for the plant, so a sativa tag on a menu is a naming habit and not a species ID.
Why menus and packages still use the words
One tag can point at how a plant grew, how it smells or how someone described it, and the tag alone does not say which. Terpene names get used the same way. A 2023 study in ACS Omega says terpenes such as myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene and terpinolene are found in greatest amounts and are used in labeling schemes, according to the full text of the ACS Omega study on PubMed Central. The same authors add that the importance of terpenes in producing specific aromas is not well understood. Our guide to cannabis terpenes covers what those compounds are, and the cannabis glossary explains any other word on a package you have not seen before.
Hybrid got its own look in a 2022 PLOS ONE study, which says commercial cannabis products are routinely labelled Indica, Hybrid or Sativa. When those researchers compared THC-dominant samples, the samples under all three labels were highly intermingled, with no obvious segregation by label. In that study a hybrid tag did not mark a group of its own, and neither did the other two.
Find flower on the live menu at either store
Start on the flower aisle page, where the product list shows live items from the menu of the store you have selected, with a switch to the other store. On 2026-10-07 every flower product on the Derby and Hartford live menus listed a THC value, and 98 of 100 sampled Derby flower products and all 56 Hartford flower products listed terpene values. If a listing carries one of the three words, treat it as the shorthand described above and read those values too. Prices and potency change often, so they stay off this page.
Pickup works at both stores: the Derby live menu on Pershing Drive takes pickup orders, and the Hartford live menu on Market Street does too. Open the Derby live menu or the Hartford live menu at any hour, since online ordering takes orders at any hour, and then collect your order in person at our Derby store or our Hartford store.
What else a Connecticut package shows
Besides the label word, a Connecticut package shows:
- Two symbols issued by DCP, one marking that the package contains THC and one saying it is not safe or legal for people under twenty-one.
- Packaging that DCP says must be child-safe, tamper-resistant and light-resistant.
- Connecticut sets potency ceilings by product type, and DCP's potency thresholds page lists them for adult-use flower and for other adult-use products.
Questions about indica, sativa and hybrid
Where do I find the THC number if the label says indica or sativa?
Look on the package and on the live menu listing. On 2026-10-07 every flower product on our Derby and Hartford live menus listed a THC value, so read that figure for the product in front of you and not the tag. We keep numbers off this page because they change often.
Can you tell indica from sativa by smell?
The ACS Omega authors say the importance of terpenes in producing specific aromas is not well understood, so smell alone is a shaky guide to a label. Their study also found terpene expression remained remarkably similar across varieties with divergent aromas. Smell is worth noticing on flower, just not as proof of a label.
Are indica and sativa different species?
Not in the way menus use the words. The Nature Plants authors say the everyday labels are not the same as the botanical names for the plant, so a sativa tag on a menu is a naming habit and not a species ID. Read the product listing for the details that do change from one product to the next.
What does a hybrid label mean on a menu?
It is the third tag on commercial products. A 2022 PLOS ONE study says commercial products carry all three words, and THC-dominant samples under those labels were highly intermingled, with no obvious segregation by label. The Nature Plants authors also say the everyday labels are not the same as the botanical names for the plant.
Why do menus still use the labels?
Because breeders, retailers and users routinely assign the sativa and indica labels to describe a cultivar's morphology, aromas or psychoactive effects, say the Nature Plants authors. The label is shorthand that a seller chose, and the package and listing carry the values for the product itself.
Can I order flower ahead and pick it up?
Yes, at either store. Both live menus take pickup orders, and online ordering takes orders at any hour. Open the Derby or Hartford live menu, choose your flower, and collect it at the counter. If you want help comparing a pair of listings, call us at 860-420-BUDS (2837) before you order.
