XVI International Botanical Congess

Loranthaceae show a classic Gondwanan pattern of radiation which has been extensively discussed in the literature. African Loranthaceae have been assumed to be directly derived from Gondwanan stock, high levels of specialisation in the continent attributed to the early separation of Africa from Gondwanaland and paleoclimatic changes that resulted from the drifting of the African plate to lower latitudes. Recent morphological studies of African Loranthaceae reveal that the most primitive African genera have centres of distribution in Asia and there is a notable paucity in African Loranths of primitive features for the family. This begs the question are there any Loranths at all now extant in Africa that are derived directly from a Gondwanan flora, or are they instead largely the result of colonisation from Asiatic stock?