Super Lemon Haze strain: lineage, citrus aroma and what the record shows

Super Lemon Haze is a Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze cross

Two independent write-ups give the same pairing. Westword says the strain gets its trademark smell from a mixture of Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze genetics. Wikipedia’s strain entry lists the same two parents and places the origin in Amsterdam in the late 1990s, a date that article attributes to a seed retailer. Treat the decade as approximate.

Both parents carry Haze or Skunk ancestry, which is why the strain is grouped with the Haze family. Wikipedia describes it as sativa-dominant, and Westword calls it dominantly sativa. Those words describe the plant’s reported growth and genetics. A package label for a given batch is the better guide to what you are buying.

Phenotype matters here. Two growers working from different cuts can produce flower that looks and smells different, even under the same strain name.

Super Lemon Haze history: the 2008 and 2009 Cannabis Cup record

Westword reports that the strain’s genetics won multiple awards at the High Times Cannabis Cup in 2008 and 2009, in the flower and concentrate categories. Wikipedia’s Cannabis Cup winners list names Super Lemon Haze for the 21st Cup in 2008 and the 22nd Cup in 2009, both credited to Green House.

The Wikipedia strain entry also lists later wins at other competitions. This article did not verify those against the organizers’ own records, so it leaves them out. Competition results describe one entry from one grower in one year. They do not describe the jar you pick up now.

Super Lemon Haze aroma, flavor and appearance

Westword describes the smell as dominated by Lemon Skunk, with the Haze spice still present: sweet, tart and a little zesty, rounded out by an earthy funk. It calls the flavor sour and sugary lemon with a subtle, spicy, earthy back end.

On looks, the same profile says the flowers can grow long and oddly shaped, from loosely structured to dense, with a bright-green color, very heavy trichome coverage and pistils that turn bright orange when mature. A home grower quoted in the piece says the plant stretches tall and flowers for about ten weeks. That is one grower’s account.

Super Lemon Haze terpenes vary by batch

Searches for Super Lemon Haze terpenes usually want a fixed list. No such list exists for every batch. Wikipedia’s summary names limonene and terpinolene as the terpenes most often reported as dominant, with others such as beta-caryophyllene at lower levels depending on the plant. Limonene is also found in citrus peel.

A 2025 PLOS ONE study of 91 flower samples found that terpinolene was the only compound consistently associated with sensory descriptors, specifically citrus and chemical. It also found that terpene profiles alone predicted aroma poorly. A lemon smell therefore tells you more than a percentage on paper does, and a percentage tells you only what a lab measured in one sample.

California lets you ask for the lab’s numbers. Under 4 CCR section 15725, when terpenoid testing is requested the licensed lab reports the result on the certificate of analysis as a percentage and in milligrams per gram. If the batch you are holding was tested for terpenoids, that report is the real answer. Our terpene cheat sheet explains how to read one.

Super Lemon Haze strain effects: one report, wide variation

Westword’s 2016 profile is one writer’s account of how the strain feels, and it also notes that some users report a lack of focus or heightened paranoia. Read it as a single report.

Effects vary by person, product and amount, and a strain name does not predict them. The Department of Cannabis Control advises that inhaled and edible products act on different timelines and that you should not drive after use. Adults 21 and older can read its responsible use guidance before trying anything new.

Choosing a Super Lemon Haze product in California

The name appears on flower, pre-rolls and concentrates, and the same name can describe different cuts made by different producers. The product information on the package, and the batch’s certificate of analysis, say what is actually inside. California requires identity and cannabinoid information on the label, as the DCC’s flower labeling guide lays out.

Prices and what is on the shelf change daily and differ by store. Use pick your Vibe store to reach the location nearest you and ask what citrus-forward flower is in at the time. Our guide to fuel-smelling strains covers a different branch of strong-smelling flower.