| Title | First fossil fruit of Spatholobus (Papilionoideae, Fabaceae) from East Asia |
| Author | Zhao, Yi-Shan |
| Publication | REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 349 |
| Corresponding Author | Xie, SP;Deng, WYD |
| Abstract | The tribe Phaseoleae (Papilionoideae, Fabaceae) comprises widely distributed legumes of substantial cultural and economic importance. However, its diversification history and biogeography remain insufficiently resolved due to limited fossil evidence. Here, we describe a well-preserved samaroid fruit from the Upper Miocene Bangmai Formation (Lincang Basin, Yunnan Province, China), representing the first confirmed fossil of Spatholobus and the earliest documented seed-apical samaroid fruit in legume family. Detailed morphological comparisons with extant Spatholobus support its designation as a new species, S. zhurongii Y.S. Zhao et S.P. Xie sp. nov. This fossil provides new insights into phaseoloid morphology and biogeography. Southwestern China experienced a climatic shift in the Neogene that possibly enabled the emergence of such liana-form legumes. Spatholobus has likely established its liana niche since the Late Miocene and maintained morphological stasis under stable environmental conditions thereafter. |
