Saponins of Acacia pulchella

Abstract

Acid hydrolysis of the saponins isolated from the roots of Acacia pulchella R. Br, gave two triterpene aglycones of known structure and a mixture of monosaccharides. The triterpenes have been identifiedas oleanolic acid (1) and echinocystic acid (3). The monosaccharide mixture contained glucose, galactose, arabinose, xylose and rhamnose. Preliminary results of the effects of the saponin fraction upon the pathogenic fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands. are reported.