Steroidal saponins from the leaves of Cordyline stricta.

Three new spirostanol saponins and two new furostanol saponins were isolated from the fresh leaves of Cordyline stricta. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including various 2D NMR techniques, hydrolysis, and by comparison of spectral data of known compounds. Two of the isolated saponins contained a new branched triglycoside moiety assigned as O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-O-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->3)]-beta- D- xylopyranose with the formation of an O-glycosidic linkage to C-1 of the aglycone.