abstract essential oils from marlierea eugeniopsoides, m. obscura, m. tomentosa and m. silvatica, collected in southern brazil, were analyzed by gc and gc/ms. fifty-two compounds were identified representing 84-97% of the oil contents. the oil from m. eugeniopsoides was rich in monoterpenes (56.1%), mainly those from the p-menthane series, with terpinolene (30.5%) and p-cymene (7.3%) being the most abundant. the other species were characterized by sesquiterpenes, mainly those from the caryophyllane and germacrane cyclization pathways. marlierea tomentosa and m. silvatica oils were quite similar, with predominance of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, such as -caryophyllene (22.5% and 25.4%, respectively) and bicyclogermacrene (24.9% and 10.9%, respectively). the oil from m. obscura was rich in oxygenated sesquiterpenes (83.2%), of which spathulenol (13.8%), caryophyllene oxide (37.2%) and globulol (7.9%) were the most abundant.