[Update: This story has unfortunately been proven as false.]

By Zara Zhi, Culture Magazine

Blue Mountains, Australia.

Scientists at the University of Sydney believe they have found a fourth species of cannabis. The finding took place in 2010, when a group of people were hiking in the Blue Mountains of Australia and discovered a single plant that resembled cannabis. The shrub was later donated to a research laboratory at the University of Sydney where a series of tests were conducted on the plant – proving that it was indeed cannabis. “When we first received the plant we were very skeptical about its relation to cannabis. It has somewhat similar growth structure, but the leaves look nothing like cannabis leaves,” according to researcher Christopher Pool.

The test results show that the species is resistant to freezing temperatures and the plant grows more like a shrub, without the archetypal candelabra shape of most cannabis strains. Countless cannabis breeders the world over have offered to pay upwards of $2,000 per seed, but Pool stated “The only problem is that we don’t have any seeds, we only have one plant,” adding, “We’ve exhausted our funding trying to find another like it.”

It’s easy to see the appeal of a cannabis plant that is resilient in cold temperatures– making open-air cultivation accessible to people in all climates.

Teams have spent years hunting for more of these specimens, but have all come back empty handed. The researchers are offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information on how to procure another one of these peculiar plants.

For the sake of humanity, let’s hope scientists uncover more of this elusive and rare specimen.