The Diversification of the Leguminosae: First Fossil Evidence of the Mimosoideae and Papilionoideae

Abstract

The legumes are an important group of flowering plants with a poorly documented evolutionary history. New fossil evidence provides data on the timing of the origin of the two derived subfamilies of legumes (the Mimosoideae and Papilionoideae). These data strongly suggest the importance of bee pollinators during a major period of angiosperm diversification.