abstract the hydrodistilled oils of the capitula, leaves and shoots oftagetes patula l. were analyzed by gc and gc/ms. the main constituents of the oil of the capitula were identified as (z)--ocimene (19.9%), (z)-tagetenone (12.4%), (e)-tagetenone (10.4%), piperitenone (5.8%) and -caryophyllene (15.1%). the oil of the leaves contained limonene (6.5%), terpinolene (16.2%), (z)-tagetone (13.0%), (z)-tagetenone (5.5%), (e)-tagetenone (8.2%), piperitone (10.2%) and piperitenone (12.5%) as the main constituents. the oil of the shoots was found to have limonene (6.8%), (z)--ocimene (13.7%), terpinolene (12.0%), piperitone (5.8%) and -caryophyllene (10.5%) as the major constituents.