From the leaves of the West African plant (Apocynaceae Hedranthera barteri) has been isolated the phenolic (−)‐desmethyl‐vobtusine (3), alongside the already known bisindole alkaloids (−)‐goziline (1) and (−)‐vobtusine (2). The new alkaloid 3 has been spectroscopically characterised and correlated with (−)‐vobtusine (2). Furthermore, the ‘monomeric’ alkaloids (−)‐hedrantherine (4) and (−)‐17‐hydroxy‐hedran‐therine (5) were found in the leaves of H. barteri. Both of these alkaloids contain a cyclic semiacetal group. These bases and their derivatives possessing an unchanged β‐anilinoacrylester group show, in the mass spectrometer, the same characteristic fragmentation as vincadifformine (11), whilst their 2,3‐dihydroderivatives bear more of a resemblance to aspidospermine. From the strongly negative Cotton effect of 4 and 22 at 300–350 nm follows the absolute configuration in these bases of centre 12. Hedrantherine (4) represents the lower half of the bisindole type of vobtusine bases. The upper half has previously been encountered in form of the alkaloid beninine in the rootbark of H. barteri. Copyright © 1972 Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim