A new natural plant constituent has been isolated from the root of red beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. conditiua) and identified as the orangecoloured water-soluble pigment S-0-B-Dglucopyranosylneobetanidin (neobetanin). Its structure was elucidated and characterized by ¹H and ¹³CNMR spectroscopy, FAB mass spectrometry, absorption spectroscopy, enzymatic determination of the glucose moiety, high-performance liquid chromatography and thin-layer electrophoresis. ¹H nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectra unambiguously identified the position of attachment of the sugar residue. Neobetanin was also found to occur as a minor constituent in petals of Opuntia ficus-indica, Portulaca grandiflora, Zygocactus truncatus and in fruits of Phytolacca bogotensis and Rhipsalis warmingiana.