The African trees that conquered Asia

Fossil pollen from dipterocarps show shared floristic heritage between Asia and Africa With more than 400 species in the tropical lowlands and hill forests of Asia, dipterocarps are among the most abundant, diverse, and economically important trees on the planet ( 1 ). Many Asian dipterocarp species, belonging to the subfamily Dipterocarpoideae, are renowned for their stature and have long been valued for their timber. These trees dominate the canopy of the tropical Asian forests and are among the tallest trees on the planet ( 2 ). Yet, the biogeographic origin of Asian dipterocarps has been a puzzle because of the lack of fossils that capture the early history of the group. On page 455 of this issue, Bansal et al. ( 3 ) report filling this critical gap in dipterocarp evolutionary history by presenting fossil pollen from Sudan and India that is far older than any dipterocarp fossils described previously and by characterizing dipterocarp resin from sediments collected in India.