The piperidine alkaloid content of the spruces Picea abies, P. glauca,
P. pungens and P. sitchensis, and the pines Pinus edulis, P. flexilis
, P. jeffreyi, P. nigra, P. pinea, P. ponderosa and P. sylvestris was
assessed by isolation and GCMS. The spruce species contained a variety
of cis- and trans-2, 6-disubstituted piperidine alkaloids, while the
pines contained only cis-disubstituted piperidines. In some species th
e alkaloid patterns of individual plant parts were determined. Prelimi
nary bioactivity of some of the piperidines is reviewed.