Abstract: Cuticular wax covers the outmost leaf surface and plays an important role in protecting plants from biotic and abiotic stress. The composition and amount of cuticular wax varies with environmental conditions. In this study, nine widely distributed herbs in Chongqing have been seasonally analyzed for the amounts of total cuticular wax and for variations in its composition. Analysis has been undertaken of the distributions of n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and primary alcohols, and their average chain length (ACL) and carbon preference index (CPI). Five plant species were observed in four seasons: Solanum nigrum, Conyza canadensis, Oplismenus undulatifolius, Calystegia hederacea and Sonchus oleraceus. Four species were observed in three seasons: Kalimeris indica, Plantago asiatica, Humulus scandens and Chenopodium glaucum. The results showed that the amount of total cuticular wax and its composition varied by plant species, with the highest total cuticular wax in Sonchus oleraceus (18.42 μg/cm²) and the lowest in Kalimeris indica (0.83 μg/cm²). The leaf cuticular wax in Sonchus oleraceus, Humulus scandens and Chenopodium glaucum was dominated by n-alkanoic acids and primary alcohols, whereas that in the other species was dominated by n-alkanes. In most plant species, total cuticular wax reduced from spring to autumn and then increased in winter, with the lowest levels in summer. The predominant carbons of n-alkanes in most plant species were C₂₉, C₃₁ and C₃₃, except for Humulus scandens in winter and Chenopodium glaucum in spring, where C₂₇, C₂₉ and C₃₁ predominated. The CPI of n-alkanes in most plant species reduced from spring to autumn and then increased in winter, whereas the ACL of n-alkanoic acids and primary alcohols in most plant species was higher in summer than winter. Overall, seasonally distributed herbs might adapt to changing environments by adjusting wax deposition on leaves, altering the average chain length of the main cuticular wax compositions and the relative contents of even and odd numbered carbons.