Answer: Hops

Cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, is a genus of the small family of flowering plants known as Cannabaceae. Included under that familial umbrella is the Humulus genus, and included in the Humulus genus is none other than Humulus lupulus—or, as beer aficionados and brewers alike would know it: hops.

In thousands of varieties of beer, the combination of grain, yeast, water, and hops work together to create a wide array of flavors. The inclusion and amount of hops in the brewing process introduces bitterness (to balance the sweetness of the malt), helps preserve the beer, and adds in aroma and flavor that other ingredients simply cannot produce.

While there are only a small number of plants in the Cannabis and Humulus genera, there’s a far more prolific member of the Cannabaceae family: the Celtis genus, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees—a group of 60-70 species of medium size deciduous trees that flower and bear small fruit.