AbstractThe essential oil from leaves of Retrophyllum rospigliosii (Pilger) C.N. Page grown in Colombia was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Sixty-eight compounds were identified, of which the most prominent were limonene (43.1 %) and α-pinene (18.2 %). The in vitro antibacterial activity of the essential oil was studied against three bacteria strains using the disc diffusion method. The strongest activity of the oil was against the Gram positive bacteria Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus.Key words: Retrophyllum rospigliosiiessential oilantibacterial activitylimoneneα-pinene