Lemon Haze strain: genetics, aroma and effects of the citrus classic
By the Golden High teamUpdated 30 October 20268 min read
Strains
The Lemon Haze strain is a cannabis cross of Lemon Skunk and Silver Haze, known for its freshly peeled lemon smell and an effect that users mostly describe as uplifting and cheerful. It has a more decorated big sister, Super Lemon Haze, a two-time Cannabis Cup winner. Here's its genetics, what really gives it that lemon taste, what people say about its effects, and the citrusy profiles you can explore in Delta-P.
Lemon Mousseux Delta-P < 20 %
A golden-yellow resin with a candied lemon scent, fresh and lightly spiced, with an earthy note underneath.
From6,90 €View product →
Cali Mochi Delta-P 25 %
A sweet, fresh, lemony flower that pairs the zing of lemon with a creamy roundness.
From7,90 €View product →Lemon Haze strain
The Lemon Haze strain, at a glance.
Let's start with the essentials, as strain databases describe them. As with any genetics, keep in mind that potency, terpenes and how it feels vary with the grow and the batch.
The name says it all: "lemon" for the citrus, "Haze" for the family of strains it comes from. The same family gave us Amnesia Haze, which we covered in detail in Amnesia Haze, the cult strain.
Where it comes from
Lemon Haze and Super Lemon Haze: two sisters.
People often mix them up, and for good reason: they share a parent, Lemon Skunk, and their second parent belongs to the same Haze family. But they're not the same strain.
| Lemon Haze | Super Lemon Haze | |
|---|---|---|
| Cross | Lemon Skunk × Silver Haze | Lemon Skunk × Super Silver Haze |
| Breeder | Breeder not specified by Leafly | Green House Seed Co., Amsterdam (Franco Loja) |
| Terpenes listed | Myrcene, caryophyllene, limonene | Limonene and terpinolene leading |
| Awards | — | High Times Cannabis Cup 2008 and 2009 |
| Reputation | Uplifting, social, cheerful | Stimulating, energetic, creative |
Super Lemon Haze won the Cannabis Cup run by High Times magazine two years in a row, in 2008 and 2009. The citrus profile owes much of its fame to her. Lemon Haze, simpler on paper, shares the Lemon Skunk parent with her and a good part of her aromatic reputation.
Who really bred several famous Haze genetics, such as Super Silver Haze, is disputed among breeders. Take the origin stories in seed catalogues with a pinch of salt.
What the sources say
The lemon taste is more than just limonene.
A strain's lemon smell is usually put down to limonene, the main terpene in citrus peel oil. That's partly true, but the chemistry is subtler. Here's what the available research shows.
Leafly · Lemon Haze page
The most abundant terpene listed for Lemon Haze isn't limonene but myrcene, followed by caryophyllene. Limonene only comes third.
Oswald et al. · ACS Omega, 2023
An analysis of 31 extracts shows that strains with very different smells can have similar major terpene profiles. The strong citrus notes of some strains come in particular from a family of sulfur compounds present in tiny amounts, also found in passion fruit and grapefruit.
McPartland and Russo · 2001
D-limonene evaporates at around 177 °C, myrcene at around 166-168 °C. These figures explain why a flower's taste changes depending on how you heat it.
Spindle et al. · Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2024
In 20 adults, vaporized d-limonene on its own produced no effect different from placebo. Combined with 30 mg of THC, it reduced reported feelings of anxiety and paranoia, without changing the other effects. A lab study on THC that says nothing about any particular strain.
Bottom line: the lemon in a Lemon Haze is a blend of many molecules, some of them almost undetectable. And the scientific interest in limonene is about its interaction with THC, not a property of flowers sold under that name. References at the bottom of the page.
Lemon Haze effects
Lemon Haze strain effects: uplifting, with caveats.
The reviews collected by Leafly describe Lemon Haze as a mostly energizing strain, said to make people chatty, cheerful and quick to giggle. Super Lemon Haze has the same reputation, only stronger: stimulating, energetic, good for creativity. These are testimonials from users of THC strains, not measurements.
- What comes up often: good mood, wanting to chat, an alert mind.
- Typical moment: daytime or time with friends.
- Also reported: a heady effect, sometimes described as short-lived.
- Not a guarantee: two batches of the same strain can have very different compositions.
- Not advice: no strain is a remedy; reported effects remain subjective.
- Not before driving: even a so-called "light" strain impairs your reflexes.
The same reviews also list side effects: dry mouth, dizziness and, for some people, a feeling of paranoia. That's typical of so-called stimulating THC strains, and one more reason to start low, in a calm setting, and not to stack doses. If a session goes wrong, the most important thing is to sit down, drink some water and wait for it to pass, with someone you trust around.
To understand why taste and effect can't be boiled down to a single compound, read terpenes, the secret behind taste and effects.
Super Lemon Haze hash
What about Super Lemon Haze as resin?
When people talk about "Super Lemon Haze hash", they simply mean a resin made from that strain, by sieving, ice water extraction or pressing. The name tells you the starting plant, not a method or a quality grade. The citrus profile survives more or less well depending on the technique and storage, because the most volatile aroma compounds are also the most fragile.
In France: a THC Lemon Haze or a THC Super Lemon Haze hash is a controlled drug. Only hemp products under 0.3% THC are tolerated. That's the framework our citrusy Delta-P profiles fit into.
On the resin side, our Lemon Mousseux Delta-P is the closest to this world: a bright golden yellow, a candied lemon scent, fresh and zingy, with an earthier note underneath.
The cousins
Strains that taste alike.
If you love Lemon Haze for its zesty side, several families play in the same key, each with its own twist. Keep in mind that a strain name describes a lineage and a reputation, not a guaranteed composition: an analysis published in PLOS ONE in 2022 showed that commercial labels don't reliably match the chemistry of the flowers.
Amnesia Haze
Same Haze family, with citrus notes in a spicier profile. Our Amnesia Delta-P picks up its lemony, floral spirit.
Lemon Skunk
The shared parent of Lemon Haze and Super Lemon Haze, whose name already announces the lemon.
Super Lemon Haze
The most decorated version, driven by limonene and terpinolene according to its strain page.
Zkittlez
Not lemony, but fruity and sweet: the other big family of dessert-style profiles.
For the fruity, sweet profile, we wrote a whole article on Zkittlez, the candy strain. And to see how temperature changes the way you taste lemon, read our guide to the weed vaporizer.
At Golden High
Our citrus profiles in Delta-P.
We don't sell Lemon Haze. Our products belong to the Delta-P range, based on CBDX, under 0.3% THC and lab-tested. Three of them, however, carry the lemony signature that gives this family its charm.
Amnesia Delta-P 12 %
A moderate-strength flower: soft spice, lemony notes and floral touches. The entry point.
Cali Mochi Delta-P 25 %
A sweet, fresh, lemony flower, fuller on the palate, with a creamy roundness.
Lemon Mousseux Delta-P
A golden-yellow resin with a candied lemon scent, fresh and lightly spiced.
Cali Mochi Delta-P 25 % and Amnesia are in the Delta-P flowers collection. For everything about Delta-P, head to our dedicated guide. Adults only: start with a small amount, leave time between doses, and never drive after a session.
Your questions
What you ask us about Lemon Haze.
What is the Lemon Haze strain?
A cannabis strain bred from Lemon Skunk and Silver Haze, known for its freshly peeled lemon smell and an effect users describe as uplifting.
What are the effects of Lemon Haze?
The reviews compiled by Leafly describe it as mostly energizing: good mood, chattiness, giggles. That's the reputation of the THC strain, and it varies by batch and by person.
What's the difference between Lemon Haze and Super Lemon Haze?
They share Lemon Skunk as a parent. Lemon Haze is crossed with Silver Haze, Super Lemon Haze with Super Silver Haze. Super Lemon Haze, from Green House Seed Co., won the Cannabis Cup in 2008 and 2009.
Why does Lemon Haze smell like lemon?
Limonene plays a part, but Leafly lists myrcene as the dominant terpene. A 2023 study shows that strong citrus notes also come from sulfur compounds present in tiny amounts.
Is Lemon Haze sativa or indica?
Leafly classes it as a sativa strain. But those labels match the real composition of flowers poorly, as analyses published in 2022 have shown.
What is Super Lemon Haze hash?
A resin made from the Super Lemon Haze strain. With THC, it is classed as a controlled drug in France. For a citrusy profile under 0.3% THC, there are Delta-P resins such as Lemon Mousseux.
Is there a legal Lemon Haze in France?
In France, the THC strain is a controlled drug. There are hemp flowers and resins with a citrusy profile under 0.3% THC, like our lab-tested Delta-P products.
Sources
The references cited in this article.
- Leafly. Lemon Haze strain.
- Wikipedia. Super Lemon Haze; Arjan Roskam.
- Oswald I. W. H. et al. (2023). Minor, Nonterpenoid Volatile Compounds Drive the Aroma Differences of Exotic Cannabis, ACS Omega.
- Spindle T. R. et al. (2024). Vaporized D-limonene selectively mitigates the acute anxiogenic effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in healthy adults who intermittently use cannabis, Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
- McPartland J. M., Russo E. B. (2001). Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts? (table reproduced by Project CBD).
- Wikipedia. Limonene.
- Smith C. J. et al. (2022). The phytochemical diversity of commercial Cannabis in the United States, PLOS ONE.
