Tropical Asia has long been considered an important source of East Asian flora. The Cenozoic plant fossil record of tropical Asia is essential for exploring the origin of East Asian flora, but Cenozoic fossils from tropical Asia are very rare due to large vegetation cover and weak paleobotanic research foundation.  

In collaboration with colleagues from Chiang Mai University, Thailand, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) carried out a 10-day scientific expedition in northern Thailand to search for Cenozoic plant fossils at low latitudes in tropical Asia from January 16-25. 

The joint team collected more than 300 well-preserved plant fossils and more than 50 pollen and spore samples from the Oligocene–Pliocene strata, including some important plant taxa such as Dracaenae, Fabaceae, Fagales, Annonae. The researchers also investigated various typical vegetation types in northern Thailand to understand their corresponding ecological environments. 

Under the combined influence of plate tectonics and monsoon climate establishment, vegetation in northern Thailand has undergone a tremendous transformation during the Cenozoic, which is of great scientific research value. Cenozoic plant fossils from Central and Southern Indochina also provide important evidence for the study of tropical Asian plant diversity and vegetation evolution.  

"This expedition helped us gain a comprehensive understanding of the Cenozoic plant fossil deposits in northern Thailand and lay a foundation for more in-depth cooperation between XTBG and Chang Mai University,” said LI Shufeng of XTBG. 

Cenozoic stratigraphy of northern Thailand 

Field Expedion. 

Plant fossils collected.