Abstract
Extant Bauhinia (Leguminosae) is a genus of 300 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas, widely distributed in pantropical areas, but its diversification history in southeastern Asia, one of its centers of highest diversity, remains unclear. We report new fossils of three Bauhinia species with cuticular preservation from the Paleogene of Puyang Basin, southwestern China. Our finding likely extends the emergence of Bauhinia in Asia to the late Eocene. Together with previously reported fossil records, we show that the diversification of Bauhina in Asia and the phenomenon of a small region harboring multiple Bauhinia species in southwestern China could be traced back to the Paleogene.
Highlights
Bauhinia L. (Leguminosae) today comprises about 300 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas and is widely distributed in pantropical areas, with the largest diversity center being in the neotropics, and the second largest in southeastern Asia [1–3] (Figure 1)
Know, Thefossil fossilleaves leaves are are characterized characterized by simple such Ginkgoaceae Engl., Engl.,Lauraceae
Chen from the late Oligocene of Ningming Basin, southern China [12], is the only fruit fossil assigned to the genus so far
Summary
Bauhinia L. (Leguminosae) today comprises about 300 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas and is widely distributed in pantropical areas, with the largest diversity center being in the neotropics, and the second largest in southeastern Asia [1–3] (Figure 1). (Leguminosae) today comprises about 300 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas and is widely distributed in pantropical areas, with the largest diversity center being in the neotropics, and the second largest in southeastern Asia [1–3] (Figure 1). Species of Bauhinia are widely cultivated as ornamentals [1]. Several species of Bauhinia (e.g., B. purpurea L.) are used in local medicine and seeds of B. petersiana Bolle can be used as a coffee substitute [3]. Recent phylogenetic studies show that Bauhinia is an early-diverged member of Leguminosae [2,4–7]. Due to the nesting of Griffonia and Brenierea within the genus, Bauhinia is not monophyletic [2,5]. We adopt the traditional broad treatment of Bauhinia because this study mainly concerns plant morphology and the character suite available in Bauhinia leaf fossils limits taxonomic resolution.
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