by Nebula Haze
Looking to see some cannabis mutations in real life? Of course, you can wait for your cannabis plants to naturally make mutations (check out pictures!), or you can go out and get some mutant genetics yourself!
Freakshow plants have a mutation that makes their leaves grow like ferns. A stealthier choice for growing cannabis outdoors!
Examples of Popular Mutant Cannabis Strains
Here are some strains that have been specially bred to stabilize certain popular cannabis mutations.
- ABC (Australian Bastard Cannabis) – “Clover” leaves.
- Ducksfoot – “Webbed” leaves that look like the foot of a duck.
- Freakshow – Also called “fern-type” because the leaves look like fern leaves.
- GPP (Giant Pur Pur) – Single-finger leaves.
ABC (Australian Bastard Cannabis)
“Clover” cannabis. Leaves are small and rounded. Originated as a type of wild hemp in Australia, which produces tiny buds with almost no THC. I first heard of this strain in 2019, when a breeder called Painted Forest Farms started making crosses from wild ABC plants with high-THC cannabis genetics. Through the efforts of many breeders, this mutation is now available in various stabilized strains that produce big, potent buds. Learn about ABC cannabis strains.
ABC leaves have a unique leaf structure, and don’t really look like cannabis.
Example ABC cannabis strains:
- Flo Fusion ABC (only available as non-feminized regular seeds)
- Feral Fuel ABC (also only available as regular seeds)
Check out these awesome Feral Fuel ABC cannabis plants by the talented grower MiyaguiOkPolilla:
Ducksfoot (“Webbed” Leaves)
Leaves in the shape of duck’s feet. Sometimes called “webbed” leaves because the “fingers” of the leaves are not fully separated. Learn more about “duck” strains.
Cannabis leaf with Ducksfoot mutation. The shape is almost like the webbed foot of a duck!
Example Ducksfoot and webbed cannabis strains:
- Auto Duck – an autoflowering ducksfoot strain by Dutch Passion
- Frisian Duck – An outdoor-loving plant with ducksfoot leaves and purple buds.
A Frisian Duck plant by grower eCA.
Fern-Type (aka “Freakshow” leaves)
Leaves are reminiscent of ferns. The original commercial strain with this fern-leaf mutation was called “Freakshow” by Humboldt Seed Company and sometimes the leaves are referred to by that original name. Although I saw Humboldt Seed Company release the strain first, I’ve also heard it was developed originally by Hi-Elevation Genetics. Contact us if you know more about the history of this strain! Learn more about Freakshow cannabis plants.
Example of leaves on a Freakshow or fern-type cannabis mutant
Example Freakshow and other fern-type cannabis strains:
- Mentha De Croco ‘Fern-Type’ (only available as unfeminized regular seeds)
- Freakshow by Real Seed Company
Examples of Freakshow and fern-type cannabis plants
GPP (Giant Pur Pur)
Single leaflet (also called “single finger”) leaves. Instead of each leaf having many points, they only have one per leaf. Not an uncommon mutation, but this particular strain seems to have originated from wild hemp plants around the Russia-China border, which is likely where it got its name.
Example GPP and single-finger cannabis strains:
- Bubblegum GPP (only available as unfeminized regular seeds)
- Spicy Temptation GPP (only available as unfeminized regular seeds)
Important Warning! If a cannabis plant has regular leaves and starts growing single-finger leaves, this is usually caused by the plant reverting from the flowering stage back to the vegetative stage. This is known as “re-vegging”. You know for sure your plant is re-vegging if the single-finger appear after the plant has started flowering, especially if you notice the edges of the leaves are round. Learn about accidental re-vegging.
An example of a single-finger leaf mutant plant sent in by one of our readers (this was a random mutation).
Check out pictures of common cannabis mutations!
