5a-Ethoxy-6fl-hydroxy- and 6fl-ethoxy-5a-hydroxy-5,6-dihydrophysalin B were derived from the corresponding 5fl,6fl- and 5a,6a-epoxides, respectively, by acid treatment in ethanol. The 5a-ethoxy derivative was isolated as an artefact from Physalis alkekengi, while other workers isolated the 6fl-ethoxy compound as a constituent of P. minima and mistakenly named it as physalin L, which had already been assigned to (25S)-3,4 didehydro-2,3,25,27-tetrahydrophysalin A. The ~H NMR spectrum of the 6fl-ethoxy derivative prepared by us, however, did not agree with the reported data.