Mendocino Purps
Northern California's foundational purple heirloom — parent of Grape Ape, ancestor of Zkittlez and Runtz on one branch, and contributor via Mendo Montage to Mendo Breath, Garlic Breath, and Peanut Butter Breath on the other. Myrcene-dominant, 18–22% THC. Rarely found as a standalone on Vermont menus; its terpene fingerprint runs through strains on almost every Vermont shelf.
Mendocino Purps (also called Mendo Purps, The Purps, Mendo Purple, Purple Mendocino) is a landrace-adjacent Northern California heirloom from Mendocino County. Not a formally documented cross — it emerged from the Emerald Triangle's outdoor growing tradition, circulating as a clone-only cultivar until BC Bud Depot received the original cut in 2004 and began commercializing seeds as "The Purps." CSI Humboldt later developed their own feminized version. It won High Times Top Ten Strain of the Year in 2007.
Its significance is genetic rather than retail. As a standalone strain it rarely appears on Vermont dispensary menus. As a breeding pillar, it underpins two of the most influential strain families in modern cannabis. On the candy side: Grape Ape (Mendo Purps × Skunk × Afghani, Apothecary Genetics) used it as the grape-indica foundation, and Grape Ape became a parent of Zkittlez, which then crossed with Gelato 33 to produce Runtz. On the Breath side: Mendo Purps is half of Mendo Montage (Gage Green Group's Mendo Purps × Crystal Locomotive), one parent of Mendo Breath (OGKB × Mendo Montage), whose F2 male "Studly Spewright" ThugPug Genetics used to breed Garlic Breath and Peanut Butter Breath.
Terpenes: Myrcene-dominant, followed by Caryophyllene and Pinene. THC: 18–22%. Aroma: grape, berry, earthy, faint caramel. Effects: body-heavy indica relaxation with mild euphoric uplift at onset; evening to nighttime use.
Dominant terpenes
What it smells and tastes like
Flavor and aroma notes most reported: grape, berry, earthy.
Effects
What people report
Aggregated user-reported signals from cannabis databases. Individual experience depends on dose, batch, tolerance, and consumption method — not a clinical claim.
Lineage
Where it comes from
Parents: NorCal heirloom (Afghani-related landrace)
Notable offspring: Grape Ape, Mendo Montage
Also known as: The Purps, Mendo Purple, Purple Mendocino, Mendocino Purple
Buying it in Vermont
Where to find Mendocino Purps in Vermont
Rarely found as a standalone on Vermont dispensary menus — significance is genetic; look for Grape Ape, Mendo Breath, Garlic Breath, or Peanut Butter Breath for the downstream terpene character Use our directory to find a shop near you, or try the strain-match quiz to discover other Vermont options that might suit the same goals.
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Mendocino Purps questions, answered
Quick answers from the same data on this page.