Abstract Essential oil from the rhizomes of Fimbristylis falcata (Vahl) Kunth colleted from the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand was obtained by steam distillation. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The oil was composed of more than 40 constituents; 33 among these were identified. Camphor (4.2%), cyperene (3.8 %), thymol (3.6%), spathulenol (4.4%), dehydroabietal (24.5%) and dehydroabietol (4.9%) were found as the major constituents of the oil.