The composition of the essential oils obtained from the whole flowering tops and from isolated flowers and leaves of Cistus albidus L. (Cistaceae) has been investigated. The three essential oils were constituted mainly by sesquiterpene derivatives, but they showed quite different compositions. In the flowering tops and flowers the main constituents were α-zingiberene, α-cadinol and ar-curcumene, while in the leaves the principal compounds were α-cadinol, juniper camphor, germacrene D and spathulenol. Furthermore, the volatiles emitted in vivo by whole flowers, petals, sepals, pollen and leaves were investigated by means of SPME. Also in these analyses, sesquiterpenes were the main constituents but with a clear dominance of hydrocarbon derivatives. The whole flowers, petals, sepals and leaves of C. albidus showed a similar emission pattern of volatiles, whereas the pollen showed a very different profile. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.