A dated phylogeny of Argophyllaceae (Asterales) is consistent with spread by long-distance dispersal.

Argophyllaceae is a small eudicot family of trees and shrubs of southwestern Pacific distribution, comprising two genera: Corokia and Argophyllum. The phylogeny of Corokia, which contains six species, has attracted little attention so far, the genus being usually represented by a single species in studies looking at relationships at higher taxonomic levels. Here we bridge this knowledge gap with a complete phylogeny of the genus based on whole-plastid DNA sequences. We also investigated nuclear ribosomal DNA markers, which yielded a poorly supported phylogeny. Comparing fossilcalibrated and biogeographic dating approaches, we conclude that extant Argophyllaceae species are probably not Gondwanan relicts, the timing of their divergences being better explained by longdistance dispersal after the break-up of Gondwana than by vicariance. The high level of endemicity of the species of Corokia prevents the reconstruction of a precise biogeographic history of the genus, but our phylogenies suggest that the genus originated in Australia, then about 3.5 My ago started dispersing eastwards into the Pacific towards its present-day distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]