The unique polycyclic fused ring systems of Daphniphyllum alkaloids,along with their extensive bioactivities,make this family of alkaloids especially attractive targets for total synthesis and biogenetic studies.In particular,successive discoveries of new alkaloids with unprecedented skeletons in recent years have made great contribution to structural diversities of alkaloids elaborated by plants of the genus Daphniphyllum.By the end of 2008,more than 200 alkaloids belonging to 14 different skeletal types have been isolated from different parts of plants of thirteen Daphniphyllum species.