Abstract The oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of Stachys pilifera Benth. and Stachys acerosa Boiss., which are endemic to Iran, was analyzed by GC/MS. Thirty compounds representing 88.9% of the oil of S. pilifera were identified, among them cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (25.2%) and trans-verbenol (19.7%) being the major ones. The oil of S. acerosa was characterized by higher amounts of cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (41.0%) and linalool (23.5%), which were among the 20 components comprising 92.1 % of the total oil detected. Both oils were richer in oxygenated monoterpenes than sesquiterpenes.