The Lunatic’s Lantern: An Analysis of Full Moon Fever

Introduction: The Landrace and the Legend

Listen closely, because we are stepping onto hallowed ground. In an industry drowning in “Cookies” crosses and purple poly-hybrids that taste like cardboard, Full Moon Fever is a violent return to the Old World. This is not a strain for the faint of heart or the low-tolerance novice. This is Greenpoint Seeds taking the most energetic, racy, heart-pounding landrace Sativa in history—Durban Poison—and strapping it to the chassis of a drag racer: the Star Dawg male.

As a Senior Editor and genetic archivist, I have tracked the Durban lineage from the port city of South Africa to the coffee shops of Amsterdam and finally to the emerald hills of Northern California. It is the “Espresso” of cannabis. By crossing it with the chemical sledgehammer of the Star Dawg, Greenpoint hasn’t just made a hybrid; they’ve created a ballistic missile.

This is Full Moon Fever.

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Part I: The Mother — The Durban Poison Legacy

To understand this cross, you must respect the matriarch. The Durban Poison clone used here is royalty. Its history reads like an Indiana Jones script.

The Origins: Rosenthal and Frank

The story begins in the late 1970s. Legendary strain hunter Ed Rosenthal traveled to South Africa and identified a fast-flowering, sativa-dominant landrace in the port city of Durban. He brought a bag of seeds back to the States and handed them to the botanist Mel Frank.

Mel Frank worked the line. He sought to shorten the flowering time while maintaining that electric, ceiling-free high. He created two lines: the “A” line and the “B” line. The “B” line was gifted to Sam the Skunkman, who took it to Amsterdam, where it became the Dutch standard. But the “A” line—the clone that stayed in the US—is often considered the superior phenotype. It is known for giant resin glands (unusual for a sativa), a distinct anise/black licorice terpene profile, and a high that feels like a shot of adrenaline.

The Legend

Why is Durban legendary? Because it is pure energy. It contains high levels of THCv (tetrahydrocannabivarin), a cannabinoid known to suppress appetite and provide a clear, stimulating focus. It is the antithesis of the “couch-lock” Indica. It is weed for getting things done.

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Part II: The Breeding Strategy — Anchoring the Sativa

Crossing a pure Landrace Sativa with a modern Chemdog hybrid is a move of agronomic genius. Here is the “inside baseball” on why this works.

1. Structure Correction

Durban Poison, left to her own devices, is a vine. She wants to grow 12 feet tall, with wide internodal spacing. While she yields well, her buds can be airy (larfy) if not dialed in perfectly. The Fix: The Star Dawg (Chem 4 x Tres Dawg) is a structural engineer. It passes down the Tres Dawg (Afghani) stem strength and the Chem 4 bud density. The Star Dawg male tightens up the internodes of the Durban, turning long, running colas into dense, baseball-bat spears that actually have weight on the scale.

2. Terpene Warfare

Durban smells of Terpinolene—sweet pine, paint thinner, and black licorice. Star Dawg smells of Caryophyllene—burnt rubber, motor oil, and chem. The Synergy: When you smash these two profiles together, you get a “Chemical Licorice” funk. The Star Dawg adds a greasy, oily coating to the dry, sandy trichomes of the Durban, increasing the volatility of the smell. You are essentially adding fuel to a forest fire.

3. Potency Modulation

Durban is a “head” high. Star Dawg is a “body” stone. By mixing them, you create a Hybrid High that hits between the eyes immediately (Durban) but settles into the limbs (Star Dawg) just enough to keep you from having a panic attack. It grounds the electrical current of the Mother.

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Part III: Phenotype Hunting Guide — Chasing the “Chem-Anise”

When you pop a pack of Full Moon Fever, you are witnessing a battle between South Africa and the USA. Here is how to spot the winner in the thunderdome.

Phenotype	Characteristics	Aroma	Verdict
The African Queen (Durban Dominant)	Tall, lanky, thin “saw-blade” leaves. Massive stretch (3x). Buds are spear-shaped and light green.	Sweet anise, black licorice, fresh pine, lemon zest.	Sativa Keeper. Pure energy high if you don’t mind tying down branches.
The Dirty Dawg (Star Dawg Dominant)	Medium height, stockier frame. Broader leaves. Buds are rock hard and round.	Burnt rubber, garlic, gym socks, chemical cleaner.	Commercial Keeper. Easy grow, heavy yield, but lacks the Durban soul.
The Midnight Toker (The Hybrid)	Perfect blend. Strong lateral branching, manageable height. Long, dense silver fox-tail colas.	Chemical Licorice. Sweet fennel/anise dipped in gasoline.	THE KEEPER. Unique flavor, devastating potency, insane bag appeal.

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Part IV: Grower’s Note — Taming the Beast

Expert Advice: Aggressive Training is Mandatory.

Do not let Full Moon Fever veg too long. The Durban genetics have a genetic memory of the African sun—they want to stretch to the heavens.

• The Stretch: Expect this plant to double or triple in size during the first 3 weeks of flower.
• The Strategy: Top early and often. Use a SCROG net. Weave branches through it in veg and the first two weeks of flower. Untopped in a tent = burnt tops.
• Feeding: Heavy feeder. Keep Nitrogen high into week 4 of flower to support the stretch, then slam P-K to fill those monster colas.

Final Verdict: Full Moon Fever is headstash for the connoisseur bored with Cookies/Cake hype. Unique terps and a high that makes you clean the house at 2 AM. Treat her right and she’ll reward you with the harvest of a lifetime.

Keep it green, keep it loud.

Photo credits: @anthony.louis.lorenz (2017)

Weight	0.25 oz
Quantity	Full pack – 10 regular photoperiod seeds
Seed Sex	Regular
Cannabis Type	Photoperiod
Flowering Length	70-80 Days
Lineage	Chem 4, Durban Poison, Stardawg, Tres Dawg
Brand	Greenpoint Seeds