Iridoids and a norsesquiterpenoid from the leaves of Villaria odorata.

Phytochemical investigation of Villaria odorata, a Philippine endemic Rubiaceae species, led to the identification of three iridoids, morindolide (1), hydrophylin A (2), hydrophylin B (3) and a norsesquiterpenoid, vomifoliol (4). This is the first report of compounds 1-4 from the genus Villaria. These classes of compounds proved to be important chemotaxonomic markers in the Rubiaceae family in combination with morphology and molecular data.