ABSTRACT
It is known, that the ability to produce secondary metabolites is connected to the taxonomic position of the producers (Frisvad and Filtenborg, 1990). Traditional source of ergot alkaloids are fungi from the genus Claviceps. Up to now many organisms from filamentous fungi to higher plants were identified to be the producers of these biologically active compounds. It was established that strains belonging to fungi imperfecti, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes and Phycomycetes are able to synthesize the ergot alkaloids. In 1960, Hofmann and Tscherter described the occurrence of ergot alkaloids in higher plants. They succeeded in isolating of lysergic acid amide, isolysergic acid amide and chanoclavine from the seeds of Ipomoea violacea and Rivea corymbosa (Convolvulaceae).
