There's Just Something About Purple
There’s just something about the color purple. The royal color has long been associated with the best of the best, and cannabis is no exception. Purple strains have always been prized for their appearance and effects.
The violet hues that define purp come from one of two variables: the plant’s genetics or its environment.
Any strain can turn purple in the right environment. When cannabis plants face chilly weather, their chlorophyl production stops and their natural green shading fades. When the green goes away, the other colors take over. The same thing happens with tree leaves in the fall.
Genetics can also cause purple colorings in hemp plants. Special chemicals called anthocyanins produce blue and purple hues. They’re responsible for the colors of blueberries, blackberries, and dark grapes. When they’re concentrated in high amounts in cannabis plants, they make the leaves turn violet and contribute to the fruity flavors and smells that often accompany purple strains.
This look into purp strains focuses only on plants that get their coloring from genetics.
Grand Daddy Purp
The most famous strain of purp varietals, Grand Daddy Purple, has been wowing recreational and medicinal users since it was first bred in 2003. With a grape-and-berry aroma and a taste of sweet fruit, GDP is a heavy indica that delivers a knock-out punch.
A true nighttime strain, GDP is the strain you should reach for when you want a first-class ticket so La La Land. Newbies should be careful when trying Grand Daddy Purp, as the strain can cause couchlock. It’s also personally responsible for countless cannabis enthusiasts nodding off before the end of movies. Its high creeps up slowly, often taking over 15 minutes to hit. But once it does, watch out! GDP produces a powerful high that causes extreme body relaxation, upbeat moods, and a buzzy head. Grandaddy Purple’s potent indica genetics has made it a top choice among patients looking to stop pain, reduce anxiety, and stave off depression.
The strain was created by Bay Area master breeder Ken Estes, who crossed Purple Urkel with Big Bud. The result has lived up to the name Grand Daddy Purple, becoming the father and grandfather of premium indicas and hybrid strains like Cherry Pie, Birthday Cake, and Forbidden Fruit.
Grand Daddy Purp flower produces tapered, torpedo-like nugs with a dense structure. Although its purple coloring manifests as tints and undertones, there’s no question that the power of this strain started the purp craze and gave rise to the expectation that purple coloring will produce powerful effects.
Purple Punch
Purple Punch is an indica-forward hybrid strain made by crossing Grand Daddy Purple with Larry OG. It creates sublime calming effects. Just two hits will send waves of pleasures throughout the mind and body. Though not as sedative as its parent GDP, Purple Punch is the perfect strain for users who want a pleasant and relaxing evening without being glued to the couch.
As an 80% indica, the Purple Punch high is concentrated in physical effects. Tingling feelings begin in the head and slowly creep into the limbs, causing soothing feelings to flow into the body’s muscles and release tension. At the same time, the uplifting powers of the strain’s sativa take root in the mind and elevate your mood, adding a mental component to the physical sensations. The overall experience is mellow and enjoyable, the perfect way to wind down after a hard day of work or to better enjoy a good movie before bedtime.
Medicinal users gravitate toward Purple Punch to help relieve stress, boost moods, and summon the sand man.
Purple Punch produces large and dense buds that are completely coated with trichome crystals. In its full plant form, the leaves of Purple Punch take on gorgeous fuchsia tones that stand out against the light green stalks and white trichomes. The buds are mostly a bright neon green color with undertones of pinkish purple. Like its purple parent, this strain smells like berries and has a ripe fruity taste with just a hint of sour grapes or wine.
Alpen Gleaux
If you’re looking for purple, Alpen Gleaux (pronounced like “glow”) delivers. Its darkly colored leaves and bright orange pistils make this strain stand out among a long line of purp varietals.
But it’s not just a pretty face. The effects of Alpen don’t disappoint. As an indica-heavy hybrid, it produces a balanced and clear-headed high that energizes the mind while soothing the body. Alpen Gleaux is tailormade for an afternoon off work, weekends, or an evening in with friends.
If the looks are unique, the taste and smell are even more surprising. The aroma of the Gleaux is defined by a mix of sour citrus and pine scents. Its taste is slightly sweet, like lemon candy with a cedar note upon exhale. The intense sensory experience of smoking Alpen Gleaux comes courtesy of its long list of flavorful terpenes, which include caryophyllene, linalool, limonene, and myrcene. The buds themselves and thick and fluffy and can feel extremely sticky when broken apart.
The secret to the unique coloring and intense effects of Alpen Gleaux comes from its unusual genetic makeup. The varietal was created by a cultivation outfit called High Alpine Genetics, which specializes in producing CBD hemp plants.
Alpen Gleaux is an autoflower cultivar, which means it begins to flower after a specific number of days instead of when conditions are right. Autoflowers are great strains for new growers because of their short life cycles, resilient genetics, simple lighting needs, and heartiness. But while most autoflower varieties produce low yields and thin plant, Alpen Gleaux boasts large, fluffy nugs and good-sized yields.
Mendocino Purps
Mendocino Purps, known as simply “The Purps,” rose to fame after taking home honors at the 2007 and 2009 High Times Cannabis Cups. The sativa-dominant hybrid strain ranked among the year’s Top 10 strain both years, catapulting it onto menus in cannabis shops across the world.
Unlike many of the strains on this list, the Purps has a murky parentage. The strain is a cross between an indica landrace strain and an unknown sativa varietal. Its appearance is a beautifully marbled purple-and-green outer layer frosted with chunky white trichomes. When broken apart, it sticks to the fingers and gives off a sweet fruit aroma. Smoking Mendocino Purps unleashes mild flavors of grapes and pine trees, with a sweeter-tasting exhale.
The Purps is commonly cited as a medicating strain. Medical patients recommend the strain to relieve everything from minor aches to intense pain as well as nausea, anxiety, depression, and lack of appetite. The high is delivers affects both mind and body but leaves users clear-headed and able to focus. Moods become elevated as the body gets soothed. It’s slight sativa dominance makes it a good choice for afternoon or after work usage. The high is enjoyable, leaving users more than able to complete tasks and think clearly. New users should take caution, however. The Purps’ two-hour high usually ends with a case of the munchies.
As Mendocino Purps grows, it stays a deep green color for most of its life. Only in the last few weeks of flowering does the plant undergo a color transformation, as the purple hue slowly spreads throughout the plant and takes over.
Sour Grape
As its name suggests, Sour Grape is both purple and mouth-puckering. As a cross between Grand Daddy Purple and Sour Diesel, Sour Grape more than lives up to the hype of its famous parentage, delivering a potent and balanced high befitting its 50-50 hybrid nature.
The effects of smoking Sour Grape are both calming and enlivening. After just one hit, users begin to feel their muscles unwind and begin to loosen while their minds pickup speed and their moods start to lift. Another hit ratchets up the effects, sending users into a buzzy and relaxed mood that’s just as likely to lead to a burst of cleaning as it is to binge a Netflix series. The sensation is like getting a massage and drinking a cup of tea at the same time.
The hybrid effects make Sour Grape excellent for nearly any time of day, depending on how the effects hit you. Users who are more sensitive to indica effects should refrain from partaking of Sour Grape during work hours, while those who feel sativas more strongly might choose to spark up when their productivity stalls.
Sour Grape hefty buds are tightly packed, sporting green leaves over purple undertones. The buds’ exteriors are coated in a dense layer of clear crystals that give it a particularly sticky feeling when broken apart.
The taste is indeed both sour and grape-like, almost like a citrus-infused wine. The smell of Sour Grape combines a pungent skunk with an undercurrent of gas, thanks to its Sour Diesel parentage.
Purple Kush
Purple Kush is a true indica strain that’s been named on the 10 Most Powerful Strains by High Times. Users who want to experience the ultimate in purple potency should no look further than this incredibly loud strain.
Purple Kush’s high begins with a rush of euphoric feelings and an intense body-melting relaxation. It creates a buzzy feeling in the brain that makes even normal things seem laugh-out-loud funny. The pure power of Purple Kush makes it a no-nonsense nighttime strain. If you’re in the market for a couchlock strain that brings your mind to the very brink of sleep and makes your body feel heavy and relaxed, Purple Kush is the strain for you. Some users experience a giggly euphoria that leaves them smiling until the moment they fall fast asleep.
There’s no doubt that Purple Kush is powerful, but with great power comes great responsibility. The intensity of this strain means that users should approach it with caution. While there are no adverse side effects, it can quickly lead to a deep slumber.
Purple Kush is the result of crossing two heavy-hitting indicas: Hindu Kush and Purple Afghani. Its genetic makeup has been highly sought after and has led directly to well-known varietals such as Purple OG Kush, Jesse’s Girl, and Purple Cake Batter.
The flavor of Purple Kush is mostly earthen with hints of sweet-tasting berries. The aroma is mild and mainly damp, with subtle notes of pepper. Medicinal users often recommend Purple Kush to combat pain, insomnia, and depression.
Purple Diesel
Purple Diesel is an energizing and motivating sativa-dominant hybrid that works perfectly for a quick midday pick-me-up or as a social lubricant.
Made by crossing Pre-98 Bubba Kush with Sour Diesel, Purple Diesel acts more like a sativa than its 60-40 split would suggest. Users report that it helps them concentrate and lifts their moods. When smoked with a friend, it can lead to fits of contagious laughter. It’s also a notorious creeper, sometimes taking up to 20 minutes for effects to begin. But once they do, it hits hard. If you’re new to Purple Diesel, it’s best to wait for the effects to hit before taking a second toke.
The combination mind and body high can fuel creative pursuits and help perk up lagging energy. Purple Diesel has become a favorite of medicinal users who take advantage of its euphoric and energizing high to combat stress, fatigue, and depression. The indica effects often result in a relaxing and pleasant come down that can remind users they’re more tired than they expected. Others find that they grow hungry as the high wears off.
Purple Diesel produces fluffy buds that alternate between a deep green and dark purple. The outer layers of the nugs and are covered with bright orange hairs and frosted with a healthy dose of snow-colored trichome crystals. The strain clearly inherited some of Sour Diesel’s pungent fuel aroma, which can fill rooms, while the taste is a more subtle semi-sweet grape and lavender flavor.
Purple Dream
A true hybrid strain, Purple Dream has become a go-to option for users who prefer a purp with milder effects and a mellower comedown. It produces light sedative effects that are perfect for evenings and nights. It’s the kind of strain that brings sensations that don’t overwhelm or distract.
Purple Dream puts users in a good mood while relaxing their bodies. It delivers feelings of light euphoria and anxiety relief, making it a great strain to relax at the end of the day—or a perfect way to get through the holidays with family. The mild effects lead to a clear-headed and functional high that can relieve mild pain and leave you with an upbeat mood no matter your circumstances.
As a 50-50 mix of indica and sativa, Purple Dream offers the kind of balanced experience that many people expect from cannabis strains. It hits both mind and body with similar force, leaving users affected for two to three hours. The light and balanced affects make this an ideal strain for newcomers who want to try hemp products or for experienced users who want a gentle high. Medical patients have used this strain to treat mood disorders, inflammation, headaches, anxiety, and fatigue.
The result of crossing Grand Daddy Purp and a sativa-leaning hybrid called Blue Dream, Purple Dream taste like sweet berries and smells like a bed of flowers growing in a pine forest. Its buds have a light green tone with subtle purple undertones and are dusted with a light layer of crystal trichomes.