Abstract The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial flowering parts of Fuernrohria setifolia C. Koch was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-eight compounds were identified corresponding to 97.6% of the total oil. Monoterpene hydrocarbons (69.1%) constituted the principal fraction of the oil with limonene (68.5%) as the major component. Other main compounds were carvone (10.2%) and germacrene D (10.9%).