A new beta-carboline alkaloid, 1-acetyl-8-hydroxy-beta-carboline, was isolated from the fern, Hypodematium squamuloso-pilosum, along with a known compound, I acetyl-B-carboline. Their structures were elucidated from spectral evidence. This is the first report of-this type of alkaloid being found in ferns. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.