Datura metel L. (Solanaceae) bears an important place in the traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of a variety of human ailments. It finds particular reference in this context as a narcotic, anodyne, and antispasmodic drug (1). As far back as 1890, Dymock's Pharmacographia Indica noted the isolation of hyoscyamine, atropine, and hyoscine alkaloids from Datura stramonium (2). The presence of these alkaloids in D. metel was reported by E. Schmidt (3-6). Later norhyoscyamine was obtained by F.H. Carr and his co-workers (7) from this plant, but the isolation of these alkaloids was invariably achieved by extraction of dried, powdered plant materials. As part of a general program, based on the utilization of fresh, undried plant materials for the isolation of their chemical constituents, studies on the leaves of D. metel have been undertaken. As a result of the present work, a new tropane alkaloid datumetine (1) has been isolated. This is the first tropane alkaloid isolated from Datura plants containing p-methoxybenzoic acid as an esterifying acid, although several methoxybenzoic acid derivatives of tropane alkaloids, such as, physochlaine (8), confoline (9), convoline (10), and tropan-3a-yl 3,4,5 trimethoxybenzoate (11) have been isolated from other plants.