Cannabis' reason for having so many diverse terpenes?

[TboneToker]

What would the reason for cannabis be to have so many different terpene profiles?

One strain tastes like blueberries,

The other MANGO

the other Lemon! (OG KUSH)

the other Earthy

the other Hops

etc etc etc etc..

Why is Cannabis so "well rounded", even hemp seeds are miraculously well rounded and provide us with all of the essential amino acids that our body doesn't create

 

[TboneToker]

(:

 

[herbivore21]

Plant development/genetics, like animal development/genetics (including us) is random, not directed. The plant phenotypes that happen to thrive in an environment (additionally in our case, those plants that are selected by human breeders for preferred effects) will be the ones with terpene profiles that will survive and go on. Further cross-breeding or other novel factors can also influence further change in the phenotype/chemotype. The 'reasons' for cannabis plants having the terpenes that they have will be down to evolutionary causes, genetic/epigenetic variations as well as human selective breeding.

One explanation in the literature for the survival of some terp profiles vs others is that they provided resistance to pests/predators. It has also been noted that some of the chemotypes that thrive are observed to have different terpene profiles at different heights of the plant, which provide resistance to the kinds of predators we would expect to find at the respective altitudes! This is a very fortunate evolutionary coincidence!

What I am saying is that cannabis plants do not think 'I need to smell a bit more blueberry-ish to suit this environmental requirement', nor is there any natural or supernatural process that makes a cannabis plant deliberately develop a set of terps for a specific purpose in the given environment.

The reason we can be tricked by evolution and natural processes into perceiving 'purpose' in the functions of living things is that those variations that suit the environment (or are selected and coddled by breeders in this case) will thrive and be the ones we tend to notice! On the other hand, those less useful genetic/epigenetic variations in phenotype/chemotype will lead to cannabis plants that do not thrive, are not selected by breeders and do not last in the natural environment for us to observe.

We cannot chart the development of cannabis varieties, chemotypes and phenotypes without considering human selection through breeding (alongside natural processes in the wild, especially with landrace varieties). This is going to be where we find the other answers that are most relevant to your question.

 

[Seek]

Why are there so myny different apples of vyrying sizes, colors, shapes, tastes and flavors? Because they've been bred like that.
Cannabis is said to have been cultivated for thousands of years. So I guess there would be the same reason for its diversity.

 

[kellya86]

Why is there so much variety in dog breeds, visually...

There is as much variation in horses or cats, but not visually like dog breeds....

Maybe some stuff shows its genetic variety more than others...

 

[TeeJay1952]

Or maybe we make shit up to sell.

 

[Greenfinger53]

why does everything I've ever got just taste pretty much the same?

 

[CarolKing]

I love a variety of difference strains to taste the different flavors and smells. I love a berry or a grape taste in my cannabis like a GrspeApe. Also that pine cool taste is great too. The Hindu Kush has a earthy but a incense type sandalwood flavor but in a good way. It doesn't taste like perfume.

Different flowers have a different taste and smell, cannabis is a plant too with different flowers depending on the strain or the name.

@Greenfinger53 you need to know your sources. If everything tastes and smells the same it's probably the same cannabis. Cannabis terpenes loses taste and smell the longer it sits around and its not stored properly. very dry cannabis often doesn't have much of a smell. It might still be potent medical wise.

 

[Greenfinger53]

ive grown northern lights, white widow, skunk, and bought cheese, blues and haze. may be I just need to try a bit harder... probably vape more, that sounds like a good solution

 

[PPN]

ive grown northern lights, white widow, skunk, and bought cheese, blues and haze. may be I just need to try a bit harder... probably vape more, that sounds like a good solution

Are you gentle enough while triming and handling your weed? I noticed the more volatile terpènes can escape easily if you are not gentle enough. Or maybe it's a growing issue....not well growed bud doesn't taste as intensively.

Your strains might taste different, Northern light is sweeeet and delicate like and Cheese taste and smell hard.... which vape do you use? some are better than others to feel the taste.

 

[phattpiggie]

@Greenfinger53 If you've grown northern lights, skunk 1 and widow and they all tasted the same then, no offence, it's your technique in the grow and cure. I've grown all 3 in the past and they were noticeably different. I'm talking a long time ago when widow first appeared and won the Cannabis Cup in the Dam.
As said before terps are defence mechanisms against bugs and animals. Selective breeding can introduce 'flavor' from one strain to another.
If the greenery you've bought has all been the same then again it's not the plant but the grower especially if you live somewhere like the UK or somewhere 'illegal'.
It's possible to make all weed taste and smell the same thru a poor technique.
Check out greenhouse seeds youtube channel they give some very good insights as to how they do it.

 

[C No Ego]

What would the reason for cannabis be to have so many different terpene profiles?

One strain tastes like blueberries,

The other MANGO

the other Lemon! (OG KUSH)

the other Earthy

the other Hops

etc etc etc etc..

Why is Cannabis so "well rounded", even hemp seeds are miraculously well rounded and provide us with all of the essential amino acids that our body doesn't create

all smells in cannabis are from zinc uptake( metallic oxide) - or even more precise, the zinc in the growing medium of where a strain of cannabis was growing ( wild cannabis) determines its smells... we are just touching on that ancient uptake system now with current breeding... I would think it would take thousands of years for a strain to permanently smell a certain way and would take thousands of years to undo so to speak

 

[C No Ego]

why does everything I've ever got just taste pretty much the same?

when you smoke cannabis every strain all will smell like smoke- smoke does not contain many terpenes but vapor does