9‐O‐Demethylhomolycorine from Egyptian Narcissus tazetta. 9‐O‐Desmethylhomolycorin aus ägyptischem Narcissus tazetta

Narcissus tazetta L. (Amaryllidaceae) grows widely in Egypt. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant and for the production of volatile oil. From N . tazetta a number of alkaloids were isolated',2) which were of great interest because of their effective antitumour3) and antiviral activities, particulary against the choriomeningitis virus4). From the wild plant the alkaloids lycorine, homolycorine, and tazettine were isolated5). The more polar alkaloid fractions of this plant are now under study.