The structure of artabotrine, an unprecedented bioactive N-methoxylated alkaloid from Artabotrys zeylanicus, has been deduced as N-methoxynorcepharadione A (1) from spectral data and single crystal X-ray analysis. The known oxoaporphine alkaloid, atherospennidine (2), was also isolated and shown to be active in a mechanism-based yeast bioassay. © 1995 Elsevier Science Ltd.