Cryptocarya pleurosperma

In addition to benzylisoquinolines, the family Lauraceae furnishes phenanthro-quinolizidine alkaloids such as the previously mentioned cryptopleurine (31) [77], a highly cytotoxic and vesicant substance first isolated from Cryptocarya pleurosperma [78]. These alkaloids are closely related structurally to the phenanthroindolizidines, a group of bases found in the families Asclepidaceae and Moraceae that are likewise vesicant. An example is tylocrebrine (56), which is elaborated by a Queensland plant from each family, Tylophora crebriflora [79] and Ficus septica [80], respectively. In the latter it occurs along with the seco analogue septicine (57), its presumed biosynthetic precursor. Apart from phenanthroindolizidines, certain Ficus spp. produce some simple pyrrolidine bases such as ficine (58) that are noteworthy because of their flavonoid substituents [81],... 

Cryptocarya pleurosperma C. T. White Francis (Lauraceae) (X, 577 XIII, 403)... 

Phenanthroindolizidine and phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloids have similar pentacyclic structures however, the latter compounds contain a 6-membered piperidine E ring rather than the 5-membered pyrrolidine E ring found in the former compounds. Cryptopleurine (5), Fig. (2), is a representative and important phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloid. It is isolated primarily from Cryptocarya pleurosperma [20], but also from Cryptocarya laevigata [21], Boehmeria cylindrica [22, 23], Boehmeria platyphylla [24], Boehmeria caudate [21], and Cissus rheifolia [25], and is known as a highly toxic skin irritant and vesicant. 

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