Abstract: Six homoerythrina alkaloids were isolated and identified from the weak base fraction of alkaloids from Cephalotaxus fortunei Hook. f. grown in Anhui Province, China. Five of them were known compounds and identified as cephalofortuneine (2), comosimine (Phelline alkaloid 6) (3), 3-epifortuneine (4), wilsonine (6) and epiwilsonine (7), respectively. One of them is a new alkaloid and proved to be 7-deoxycephalofortuneine (1) on the base of spectral analysis. Its MS shows a molecular ion at m/z 345, 16 mass units less than that of cephalofortuneine (2). Comparison of its 1H-NMR spectrum with that of 2 indicats that 1 lacks 7-hydroxyl group, but it still has 2-hydroxyl group.J3,4ax and J3,4eq are ll.2 Hz and 3.0 Hz, so that 3-Hpresumably is axial. The J1,2 and J2,3 are found to be 4 Hz. These indicat that the 2-H should be equatorial, since J2,3= 4 Hz is small for the trans-axial coupling.

Key words: Cephalotaxus fortunei, Homoerythrina alkaloids, 7-deoxycephalofortuneine