Leaves were collected from P. dioica trees (fruiting - 4, non-fruiting - 4, unknown - 4) located in Shawbury, St. Ann during the month of August. Trees which had been observed in excess of 30 years to be fruiting or nonfruiting trees and young pimento trees of unknown fruiting ability which had not yet blossomed were selected.

Oil yields obtained from the leaves of non-fruiting pimento trees (2.13%) were on average lower than that recorded for the fruiting trees (2.67%), although when the t-test was employed there was no statistical difference between the two (p< 0.05). Since the aim of this study was to investigate the aroma differences in the bearing and non-bearing pimento trees, analyses of the essential oils were confined to the more odoriferous volatile components, the monoterpenes and phenylpropanoids. Compounds exhibiting significant differences in composition at p < 0.005 were alpha-thujene, myrcene, alpha-phellandrene, gamma-terpinene and terpinolene while eugenol was significantly different at p < 0.01. With the exception of eugenol, the other significantly different components of the leaf oil exhibited a ratio of approximately 2:1 for the bearing to non-bearing pimento trees.