Objective: To observe correlation between contents of volatile oil

bornyl acetate and altitude in Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia roots from Guizhou province

and provide a scientific basis for selection of its cultivation area. Method: Volatile oil in V. officinalis var. latifolia roots was extracted by steam distillation method.The content of bornyl acetate was determined by gas chromatography (GC).Correlation between contents of volatile oil

bornyl acetate and altitude was analyzed by SPSS 17.0 software. Result: Contents of volatile oil and bornyl acetate from different altitudes had significant differences.The average content of volatile oil was 2.20%

its amplitude was 1.34%-3.60%

volatile oil content in most samples was decreased with increasing of altitude.The average content of borneol acetate was 50.29%

its amplitude was 29.64%-64.87%

the content of borneol acetate substantially decreased with increasing of altitude

but it had no significant correlation. Conclusion: Altitude is closely related to the content of volatile oil in V. officinalis var. latifolia roots from Guizhou province

which suggests this herb should be cultivated within lower altitude area.