the essential oils of leaves and twigs of myrtus communis with black and white fruits were analyzed by gc and gc/ms. the leaves were rich in essential oil (0.77-0.94%) than the twigs (0.05%). more than forty compounds were identified in each leaf essential oils, the major compounds were -pinene/1,8-cineol with different percent compositions (33.4/42.4%) and (39.3/33.3%) in m. communis with white and black fruits, respectively. thirty-eight compounds were identified in the essential oils of the twigs among which the main compounds were p-cymene (17.7%), -pinene (10.8%), 1,8-cineol (13.5%), and limonene (10.7%). while the volatile fraction of m. communis leaves having white fruits extracted by headspace solid-phase microextraction was characterized by high content of limonene (almost 29%), those with black fruits were dominated by cis--terpineol (ca. 29%). the enantiomeric ratio of monoterpenes present in the headspace of all m. communis samples determined using enantioselective gas chromatography/mass spectrometry showed (+)/(-)--pinene ratio close to 95/5% and exclusive presence of (+)-antipode for limonene.