The chemical compositions of volatile components from Magnolia biondii Pamp were determined by steam distillation (SD) and headspace solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Fifty-six compounds were identified and the major volatile components were d-camphor (0.18-43.26%), 1,8-cineol (13.23-38.02%), α-terpineol (6.57-12.29%) and α-cadinene (5.53-15.15%). The comparison of the volatile components from M. biondii Pamp harvested in three regions of China was investigated. Also, the comparison of volatile components by SD and HS-SPME methods in term of isolation time, plant-consuming and chemical compositions was discussed as well. The percentages of the volatile components by HS-SPME method were found to be large difference from the corresponding one by SD method. HS-SPME technique was much faster than SD (60 min (HS-SPME)/420 min (SD)). Although the aromatic profiles between HS-SPME and SD methods showed several quantitative differences, HS-SPME may be applied routinely to analyze aromatic and medicinal plants.