Summary: Some 200 ultramafic xenoliths and their basaltic hosts from five French localities were studied. New analyses are presented, which show the five host-rocks to be nepheline- and olivinenormative. Seven bulk analyses of xenoliths from four localities, together with analyses of their constituent diopsides and, for six, of their orthopyroxenes, are also presented. Xenoliths from four occurrences appear to have equilibrated at pressures between about 8 to 18 kb at sub-basaltic solidus temperatures. Suites of xenoliths are chemically different. Histograms were used to determine compositions of depleted and ‘undepleted’ upper mantle. A suite of peridotite xenoliths from the Bultfontein kimberlite pipe is no less depleted in fusible oxides than xenoliths from two French localities. ‘Undepleted’ upper mantle is very similar to ‘pyrolite’ in composition, except that the latter has much higher TiO₂, Na₂O, and K₂O contents. No xenolith encountered in this work has a bulk composition that could yield more than 12% oceanic tholeiite on partial melting.