Abstract Hydrodistilled essential oil of the dried mature fruits containing seeds of Tagetes minuta was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-four constituents making up 93.7% of the oil were identifi ed. The major compounds were limonene + β-phellandrene (4.7%), (Z)- β-ocimene (36.8%), dihydrotagetone + (E)- β-ocimene (15.5%), (Z)-tagetone (17.1%), (Z)-tagetenone (3.0%) and (E)-tagetenone (7.5%). Key Word Index: Tagetes minuta Compositaeessential oil composition(Z)-β-ocimene(Z)-tagetone