Abstract Water-distilled essential oil of Origanum minutiflorum, an endemic species in Turkey was analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Carvacrol (78.6%), p-cymene (7.7%) and Î³-terpinene (2.2%) were identified as major constituents. The oil of micropropagated O. minutiflorum was also investigated and the results were compared with those from wild plants. Phytochemical studies of the plants indicated that in vitro propagation method increased the phenolic monoterpene (carvacrol) content, with a similar profile of other constituents.