Terpene Harvest? for January 2021: Wintersweet

Welcome to the January 2021 installment and fifth addition to the Higher Learning LV? Terpene Harvest? series. This collection of educational content explores the science and biochemistry of 18 terpenes over a one-and-a-half year period—with a very unique focus on the plants in nature that manufacture these highly medicinal and fragrant aromatic molecular compounds.  

January Harvest: Wintersweet

Wintersweet, also known by the scientific name chimonanthus praecox, is an ornamental plant native to China, where it has been cultivated for more than 1,000 years. In Japan, this plant is known as Japanese allspice. Although technically a shrub, this deciduous flowering plant sometimes achieves a height of 15 feet (five meters).  

“Chimonanthus spends most of the year unnoticed, but [in] January, it lets loose a barrage of flowers that are delicate in appearance but [that] arguably carry the best scent of any flower, anywhere.”  

During the warm season, when most plants are in bloom, wintersweet plays the role of the shy introvert, displaying only green foliage of no special merit. In winter, however, this green is disrupted by the emergence of waxy yellow flowers that emit a lemony fragrance with heavy hints of spice. In the United States, this plant thrives mostly in southern regions.   

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About the Author

Curt Robbins is a technical writer, instructional designer, and lecturer who has been developing science-based educational and training content for Fortune 200 enterprises for more than 30 years. His clients have included Federal Express, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Northrop Grumman, National City Bank, Strainprint Technologies Ltd., the J.M. Smucker Company, and USAA. 

Robbins has developed more than 600 educational articles regarding hemp and its various health components, including terpenes, cannabinoids, and the human endocannabinoid system. He currently serves as Director of Curriculum Development for Higher Learning LV? based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Robbins can be found on Twitter at @RobbinsGroupLLC and via email at [email protected].