2a, 3a-Dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid has been isolated from Holoptelea integrifolia heartwood and its structure elt~cidated by physico-chemical methods and comparison with synthetic sample. Holoptelea integrifolia PLANCH. syn. Ulmzrs integrifolia ROXB. (Lllmaceae) locally known as Chilbil, is a roadside tree distributed throughout the greater part of India [I]. T h e bark yields friedelin and friedelin-3fi-01 and the leaves yield hexacosanol, octacosanol, fi-sitosterol and fi-amyrin [2]. In pursuance of the investigations on different parts of H. integrifolia, a systematic chemical examination of its heartwood has been taken up and a rare triterpene acid (Fig. 1 a), 2a, 3a-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid has been isolated and its structure elucidated. T h e hexane and ether soluble sticky semi-solid fractions of the alcohblic extractive of the heartwood on chromatography (silica gel) yielded an LB and T N M positive product, m. p. 150-200' which was acidic in nature and showed 5 spots on TLC (silica geI G plates; Bz-MeOH, 9 5 5). Repeated column chromatography (silica gel and alumina) could not furnish any pure product. The mixture was, therefore, methylated with diazomethane and the resultant methylester mixture o n chromatography (alumina) resolved into 3 .different fractions having melting ranges 170-190°, 280-290' and 225-230" respectively. The major and the highest melting methylester was purified by rechromatography and crystallisations from alcohol as needles when it melted a t 294-296'; (a):;, + 62.7O! mol. wt. 486 (M'). The elemental analysis answered the molecular formula, CSIHj004 for the compound (Fig. l b) which formed a crystalline dibenzoate, C45H5S06 and an amorphous acetate found mixture of a monoacetate and a diacetate (M* = 570; Fig. lc).