Phenotypes like Grandma used to make
by Charles “Uncle Chuck” Duncan
All living things, including humans, communicate on a cellular level. One cell tells another what to do. The extremely unique group of cells that make up each of us affect who we are and how we are perceived by others. Traits that can be observed by others, and not always by sight alone, have a direct impact on how others see us and treat us. The combination of our visual appearance, the sound of our voice, physical quirks and smells among other things, greatly affect how we are treated by others. Those unique combinations can be referred to as our Phenotype. Each one is unique to ourselves.
Now think back to your favorite meal as a kid. Was it your grandmother’s biscuits and gravy? Your mothers lasagne? Pizza-bake at the school cafeteria? I personally miss cafeteria dining. What do you miss about it the most? Maybe it was the smell of an apple pie. Maybe it was how the meal looked. Perfect grill marks. Or maybe it was how it made you feel afterwards. Homemade ice-cream always provided memories of childhood summers within minutes of completing my first scoop. The things you observed and remembered about your favorite childhood meals are also considered phenotypes. 
Oxford Language Resource defines Phenotypes as “the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.”
The genotype of an organism is its set of genetic material. The genes partly determine the “observable characteristics” of an organism, such as hair color, height, etc
Cannabis has a phenotype as well. The smell, looks, taste and affects between and within strain names can differ greatly. Just because something is labeled Indica, doesn’t mean it will be the same as other Indicas. Much like one growers harvest of OG Kush won’t be the same as another growers version of the same strain. So what can you do to make sure you get consistent results? Follow the grower and not the strain name. And keep a cannabis journal. Tracking your cannabis experiences can be both educational and enjoyable. Don’t forget to include strain names, grower, dosage, emotional state pre and post consumption.
Whether it is a traditional paper journal or one of the many online journals and blogs available, keeping notes regarding your cannabis consumption can be as clinical or as creative as your mind will allow. And no one says you just have to have one. The important thing is to document your experience.
Defining the Phenotypes is typically one of the easiest ways to categorize the experience. Any good wine review will give you an idea of how phenotypes are expressed with cannabis. Diesel, Skunk, Fruity, Savory. Write that down. Everytime. Also note the effect. Was it a body high or head high or both? While I do love seeing a beautiful cannabis plant and have seen many in my years. I never connected the dots between a visually beautiful plant and its impact on my dispensary purchase. It’s the Charisma characteristic I never used in Dungeon and Dragons and don’t really use in Dungeons and Doobies ethier. But nonetheless, visual appearance is very much part of the overall phenotype of the cannabis plant.
Once you start noticing repeatable patterns in your journal, you might name a specific favorite group of phenotypes you enjoy. Hint, soft drink companies have made billions by doing this.
The important thing is to take it slow and document your progress. You will learn alot about the plant and yourself in the process.