The absolute configuration of the title compound, C(10)H(17)NO(3)·H(2)O, was assigned from the synthesis. In the mol-ecular structure, the central six-membered ring of the indolizine moiety adopts a chair conformation, with two atoms displaced by -0.578 (2) and 0.651 (1) Å from the plane of the other four atoms [maximum deviation 0.019 (2) Å] The conformation of the fused oxopyrrolidine ring is close to that of a flat envelope, with the flap atom displaced by 0.294 (1) Å from the plane through the remaining four atoms. In the crystal, one of the hy-droxy groups is hydrogen-bonded to two water mol-ecules, while the other hy-droxy group exhibits an inter-molecular hydrogen bond to the carbonyl O atom, resulting in a chain parallel to the b axis.