Phytogeographic implications of fossil endocarps of Menispermaceae from the Paleocene of Colombia

Abstract

The new fossils from Colombia reveal a complex paleobiogeographic history of the recognized clades within Menispermaceae, suggesting a more active exchange among neotropical, paleotropical, North American, and European paleoforests than previously recognized. In addition, the new fossils indicate that neotropical forests were an important biome for the radiation and dispersal of derived lineages in Menispermaceae after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.