Essential oils from six species of the Verbenaceae family; Lippia alba, L. alnifolia, L. affinis aristata, L. aristata, L. grata and L. aff. sidoides were analyzed by ge-ms-computer library search programs. Several monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, aromatic compounds, alcohols, and ketones were identified.Thymol and α-phellandrene are the major constituents of the essential oil of L. aff. sidoides. The other five species contain mainly caryophyllene followed by carvacrolin L. almifolia and L. grata, γ-cadinene in L. aff. aristata, sabinene in L. aristata, and geranial in L. alba.As part of an intensive screening program of odoriferous flora of northeastern Brazil including botanical, pharmacological, and chemical aspects, we decided to investigate the chemical composition of the essential oils from six species of the Verbenaceae family, genus Lippia.Previous work on essential oils of this genus has been on Lippia alba, L. adoensis, L. micromeria, L. turbinata, L. carviodora, L. juneliana, L. dulcis, L. hastulata, L. helleri, L. polistachia, L. citriodora, L. lyciodes and L. asperifolia (1-19).The residual waters from the steam distillation of L. aristata and L. aff. sidoides have shown high molluscicidal activity (1:100 dilutions) against Biomphalaria glabrata, the most important host of Schistosoma mansoni in Brazil (20).This communication describes the results of an investigation of the essential oils constituents from L. alba, L. alnifolia, L. aff. aristata, L. aristata, L. grata and L. aff. sidoides widely grown in northeastern Brazil (table 1).