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 'marjoramy' composition ('sabinyl chemotype') with 74% of oil compounds belonging to the bicyclic compounds sabinene, trans- and cis-sabinene hydrate and cis-sabinene hydrate acetate ('sabinyl compounds'), two further chemotypes were present in the population, namely a pure -terpineol chemotype (73% -terpineol) and a mixed sabinyl/-terpineol chemotype (41% sabinyl compounds, 40% -terpineol). the chemotype frequencies found in this population were 56% of the plants belonging to the sabinyl chemotype, 4% to the pure -terpineol chemotype and 40% to the mixed sabinyl/-terpineol chemotype.