Black Pepper Terpene

Beta-caryophyllene, commonly called the black pepper terpene, is a sesquiterpene found across cannabis, hops, cloves, and black pepper itself. In cannabis genetics, strains expressing elevated caryophyllene often exhibit spicy, peppery, or woody aromatic profiles. Breeders frequently select for this terpene when developing cultivars with distinctive spice-forward chemotypes. The compound's prevalence across diverse plant families makes it a stable trait to work with in breeding programs. Caryophyllene-rich lineages are often crossed to establish consistent flavor signatures in new cultivars.

Breeders targeting spice-forward or fuel-adjacent aromatic profiles commonly select parent plants with documented caryophyllene expression. Stabilizing this terpene through multi-generational crosses allows creation of predictable chemotype lines within established families.