Budtender’s terpene cheat sheet

Terpene	Aroma	Also found in	In cannabis
Myrcene Full entry →	Earthy, musky, herbal — damp soil, ripe mango skin.	Mango, lemongrass, thyme, hops, bay leaf.	The most common terpene in commercial flower — dominant in a huge share of modern cultivars.
Limonene Full entry →	Citrus — lemon zest, orange rind, sharp and bright.	Citrus peels, juniper, peppermint.	The signature of citrus-forward cultivars — common in Haze lines, Wedding Cake descendants, and Lemon, Tangie, and Mimosa names.
Caryophyllene Full entry →	Peppery, spicy, woody — cracked black pepper, cloves.	Black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, oregano, basil.	The only major cannabis terpene that also binds to cannabinoid receptors (CB2) — dominant in Kush lines, Cookies descendants, and Gelato.
Pinene Full entry →	Pine, conifer, rosemary — a walk through a pine forest.	Pine needles, rosemary, sage, eucalyptus.	The backbone of the classic piney nose — Jack Herer, Blue Dream, and OG Kush all carry it prominently.
Terpinolene Full entry →	Floral, citrus, herbal, and piney all at once — fresh, almost clean.	Lilac, nutmeg, cumin, tea tree, apples.	The signature terpene of classic Hazes — Super Silver Haze, Jack Herer, Durban Poison; rarer in modern dessert cultivars.
Linalool Full entry →	Lavender, floral, slightly sweet and powdery.	Lavender, basil, rosewood, coriander.	Rarely dominant — a supporting note that rounds out profiles with floral softness (Do-Si-Dos, some purples).
Humulene Full entry →	Woody, earthy, hoppy — dry woods, dried herbs.	Hops (hence the name), coriander, clove, ginseng.	A frequent second or third terpene in Kush and Cookies lines — woody depth behind caryophyllene’s spice.
Ocimene Full entry →	Sweet, herbal, tropical — basil with a candy edge.	Basil, mint, orchids, mangoes.	A bright supporting terpene in hazes and sativa-leaning cultivars; highly volatile, so its presence signals freshness.
Bisabolol Full entry →	Floral, sweet, honeyed — chamomile tea, light honey.	Chamomile (its namesake source), candeia tree.	A minor terpene in the supporting cast of dessert and candy cultivars — Gelato, Wedding Cake, some Cookies crosses.
Valencene Full entry →	Sweet orange — citrus peel with a woody base.	Valencia oranges (its namesake).	Rounder, sweeter citrus than limonene — Tangie lines and orange-forward cultivars.
Geraniol Full entry →	Rose, geranium — sweet floral with a citrus lift.	Roses, geraniums, citronella, lemongrass.	A minor floral terpene contributing the “rose” note in some purples and floral phenotypes; rarely dominant.
Terpineol Full entry →	Lilac, pine blossom — floral with an earthy base.	Lilac, pine oil, eucalyptus.	Jack Herer phenotypes, White Widow lines, and some hazes — a floral-pine character all its own.
Eucalyptol Full entry →	Eucalyptus, minty, cool — camphor-adjacent freshness.	Eucalyptus, bay laurel, tea tree, rosemary.	A minor terpene adding a cooling, almost menthol lift — Headband, Girl Scout Cookies lines, some hazes.
Camphene Full entry →	Camphor, fir, damp wood — sharp, resinous.	Camphor laurel, fir oil, citronella.	A minor terpene in Ghost OG, Strawberry Banana, and Mendocino Purps lines — resinous sharpness.
Sabinene Full entry →	Peppery, woody, citrus-rind — black pepper over orange.	Black pepper, juniper, spruce, holm oak.	Notable in Super Silver Haze and some sativa lines — a spicy-citrus edge between limonene and caryophyllene.
Nerolidol Full entry →	Floral, woody, fresh bark — rosewood, apple blossom.	Jasmine, neroli oil, ginger, tea tree.	Skywalker OG, Jack Herer, and Island Sweet Skunk lines — floral, but not lavender.

Recorded reference information — what’s been documented about these compounds — not measurements of any batch, and not predictions of effects. For what’s in your jar, read the batch’s own report.

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