A claim by Lounasmaa and Hanhinen to have synthesised a biogenetic intermediate to heteroyohimbine alkaloids, 3-iso-19-epicathenamine, isolated as the cyano adduct, 21-α-cyano-3-isorauniticine, is wrong; the product is now shown by n.O.e. difference spectra to be in reality the known 21-α-cyano-akuammigine. Their ''correction'' of the latter structure is thus proven to be totally invalid.