abstract the volatile fraction of alchemilla alpina l. em. buser was isolated by steam distillation from fresh aerial tissues and analyzed by gc-fid and gc/ms. fresh samples were collected in two experimental sites located in western alpine region (alpe gianna and alpe caugis, val pellice, piedmont, italy). the yield in essential oil was 0.16 +/- 0.04% of fresh material. a wide range in volatile quantitative composition was detected. terpenes and alcohols were identified as the major compounds representing the 36.9% and 30.6% of the total oil, and quantified as 47.3 g/g fresh weight and 39.2 g/g fresh weight, respectively. aldehydes were quoted as 15.4% of the total oil (19.7 g/g fresh weight), followed by acids 2.3% (3.0 g/g fresh weight), esters 1.0% (1.3 g/g fresh weight) and unidentified 0.5% (0.7 g/g fresh weight). dill apiole, coumarin, myristicin, vanillin, eugenol, apiole and p-vinyl guaiacol, altogether quoted as 4.5% of the total oil (5.8 g/g fresh weight), were also detected.