Essential Oils of Four Wild and Semi-Wild Plants from Zimbabwe:Colospermum mopane(Kirk ex Benth.) Kirk ex Leonard,Helichrysum splendidum(Thunb.) Less,Myrothamnus flabellifolia(Welw.) andTagetes minuta L.

The essential oils from the aerial parts of Colospermum mopane (Kirk ex Benth.) Kirk ex Leonard, Helichrysum splendidum (Thunb.) Less, Myrothamnus flabellifolia (Sound) Welw., and Tagetes minuta L. from various locations in Zimbabwe were obtained and distilled fresh to semi-dry and examined by GC and GC/MS. The major components recorded for C. mopane were found to be: α-pinene (67.6-71.6%) and limonene (3.6-5.0%); H. splendidum: α-terpinene (14.9%), β-pinene (10.2%) and 1,8-cineole (8.6%); M. flabellifolia: trans-pinocarveol (28.7-28.8%), pinocarvone (13.4-21.3%), α-pinene (tr-23.0%) and β-selinene (5.0-9.9%); T. minuta: dihydrotagetone (2.2-43.3%), (Z)-β-ocimene(20.7-41.4%),(Z)-tagetenone (0.3-31.4%)), (Z)-tagetone (1.0-21.0%), (E)-tagetenone (0.9-16%).