Objective: To study the chemical constituents of the volatile oil from the flower bud of Prunus mume. Method: The volatile oil was extracted by steam distillation and analyzed by GC-MS. The composition of the volatile oil was determined according to peak area normalization method. Result: Total 51 compounds were isolated and identified from the volatile oil of the flower bud of P. mume. Conclusion: Chemical constituents of the volatile oil from the flower bud of P. mume included aldehydes

esters

organic acids

alcohols and fatty compounds. The main components were benzaldehyde (42.93%)

benzyl benzoate (9.16%)

heneicosane (7.96%)

tricosane (7.39%)

n-hexadecanoic acid (3.62%) and 3-allyl-6-methoxyphenol (2.51%).