Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum

While isoquinolines are elaborated by a number of natural orders, there are only two exceptions to the statement that the protopine bases are found only in the Papaveraceae. These exceptions are the occurrence of a-al-locryptopine ( S-homochelidonine) in Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum F. Miill. and in Z. coco Gill. Fagara coco (Gill.) Engl.), plants belonging to the Rutaceae, and of protopine in Nandina domestica Thunb. (Berberidaceae). 

Allocryptopine has been found in plants outside of the Papaveraceae first by Jowett and Pyman (78) in Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum and then in Z. coco (79), from the latter of which it was first recorded under the name of a-fagarine (80). 

It is of interest in this connection to note that the conversion of tetrahydroberberine into an anhydro-base of type E (p. 337) represents transformation from the berberine to the cryptopine type (p. 295), and that a-canadine methochloride occurs in Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum with its cryptopine analogue, y-homochelidonine (j8-aZZocryptopine, p. 301). 

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