# Terpinolene

> Terpinolene is a monoterpene with a fresh, herbal, piney-citrus-floral aroma that dominates a distinctive, less common cannabis chemotype.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpinolene.html
- Also written: δ-terpinene, delta-terpinene, terpinolene-dominant, terpinoline
- Glossary category: Cannabinoids and terpenes · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Terpinolene is a cyclic [monoterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/monoterpene.md) with a complex smell: fresh, herbal, piney, with citrus and floral notes, sometimes described as smelling like apple, lilac or cleaning products. It occurs in tea tree, lilac and conifers. In cannabis it marks one of the few clearly separate [terpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md) [chemotypes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemotype.md) in market surveys.

## In practice

Smith et al. (2022) found that commercial US flower clusters into a small number of terpene groups, and terpinolene-dominant samples formed one of the distinct, less common groups, alongside the large [myrcene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/myrcene.md) and [caryophyllene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/beta-caryophyllene.md)/[limonene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/limonene.md) groups. Terpinolene-dominant flower often carries [ocimene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ocimene.md) and myrcene too. It's volatile, so drying and storage conditions show strongly in the readings.

## Don't confuse with

- **Terpinene (alpha, gamma)**: related isomers, usually minor on panels.
- **Terpineol**: a terpene alcohol with a lilac smell.
- **Myrcene**: frequently present in the same samples, but a different chemotype.

## Myth check

Terpinolene-dominant flower is often sold as "sativa". House position: indica/sativa labels don't predict chemistry or effects. See [Mythbusters](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/mythbusters.md).

## Related terms

[Monoterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/monoterpene.md), [Terpene profile](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene-profile.md), [Myrcene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/myrcene.md), [Ocimene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ocimene.md), [Alpha-pinene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/alpha-pinene.md)

## Read more

- [Why everything tastes the same: the evidence that commercial cannabis is converging](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/why-everything-tastes-the-same.md)

## Sources

1. Smith CJ, Vergara D, Keegan B, Jikomes N. 2022. The phytochemical diversity of commercial Cannabis in the United States. PLOS ONE 17(5):e0267498. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267498
2. Booth JK, Bohlmann J. 2019. Terpenes in Cannabis sativa: from plant genome to humans. Plant Science 284:67-72.