Abstract Individual plants grown in a greenhouse from seeds of a natural population of sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana L.) from Cyprus were analyzed for their essential oil composition. Three chemotypes were detected in the population. Besides the standard âmarjoramyâ composition (âsabinyl chemotypeâ) with 74% of oil compounds belonging to the bicyclic compounds sabinene, trans- and cis-sabinene hydrate and cis-sabinene hydrate acetate (âsabinyl compoundsâ), two further chemotypes were present in the population, namely a pure αâterpineol chemotype (73% αâterpineol) and a mixed sabinyl/αâterpineol chemotype (41% sabinyl compounds, 40% αâterpineol). The chemotype frequencies found in this population were 56% of the plants belonging to the sabinyl chemotype, 4% to the pure αâterpineol chemotype and 40% to the mixed sabinyl/αâterpineol chemotype.