AbstractThe saturated long chain fatty acid methyl esters of the triglyceride fraction ofPolytrichum communespores were separated by silver nitrate TLC and identified by a combination of gas chromatographic‐mass spectrometric technique. The saturated fatty acid methyl esters were straight‐chained, and even‐numbered with carbon numbers ranging from 12 to 26 or odd‐numbered with carbon numbers ranging from 13 to 25. The major components of the fraction containing saturated fatty acid methyl esters were methyl palmitate and methyl stearate.The fatty acid methyl esters of the monoenoic fraction isolated by silver nitrate TLC were converted to TMSO derivates which were analysed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The analysis gave evidence of positional isomers. The fraction contained the following straight chain monoenoic fatty acid methyl ester isomers: methyl 7‐cis‐hexadecenoate, methyl 9‐cis‐hexadecenoate, methyl 9‐cis‐heptadecenoate, methyl 9‐cis‐octadecenoate, methyl 11‐cis‐octadecenoate, and methyl 11‐cis‐eicosenoate. The major components were methyl 9‐cis‐octadec