Five Parietaria officinalis pollen extracts were obtained after respective 0.5, 4, 16, 48, 96 h of extraction in 0.0125 M NH4HCO3 pH 8.7 containing 0.05% NaN3 and 5.7 X 10(-4) M phenylmethylsulphonylfluoride. Conductivity, pH, absorption coefficient at 280 and 360 nm and content in protein and carbohydrates were determined in the extracts. Allergenic potency, evaluated by RAST inhibition was higher for the shorter-time extracts. The allergenic composition of the extracts was analyzed by a combination of gel filtration of the extracts and RAST inhibition of the eluted fractions: low molecular weight allergens were recovered only in longer-time extracts.