Chemovar

A chemovar is a cannabis or hemp variety classified by its measured chemical profile rather than by a strain name or appearance.

The word combines chemical and variety. Instead of relying on names like sativa or indica, which correlate poorly with what a plant actually contains, a chemovar is defined by its dominant cannabinoids and terpenes, for example CBD-dominant, THC-dominant, or balanced, with a characteristic terpene signature. Researchers and regulators favor the term because it can be verified by laboratory analysis.

For a hemp reader, the chemovar concept explains why two products labeled with the same strain name can test very differently, and why the certificate of analysis is a better guide than marketing language. Hemp grown for CBD is, by definition, a CBD-dominant chemovar that stays under the federal THC threshold. The term applies to plant classification only and carries no implication about effects in people or animals.