New records of extinct Icacinaceae from Paleocene rainforests of northwestern South America

Premise This study describes three new records of Icacinaceae— Punctiuga bachue gen. et sp. nov., Palaeophytocrene paramoae sp. nov., and Goweria bacatana sp. nov. from the Paleocene (Selandian–Thanetian) Bogotá Formation in Colombia—improving understanding of the distribution and evolution of this family in the Neotropics. Methods We analyzed 47 fossil endocarps using microscopy and X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (μCT); we also studied the associated leaf assemblage in search of potential Icacinaceae foliage. We then compared the fossils to extant Icacinaceae specimens from herbaria and the existing literature. Results Punctiuga bachue features unique morphological traits that resemble and support a close affinity to Iodeae and Phytocreneae. The presence of Palaeophytocrene paramoae confirms Phytocreneae diversity in South America during the Paleocene, and the occurrence of leaves of Icacinaceae contribute to the history of Icacinaceae on the continent. Conclusions Our results show a previously unacknowledged diversity of Icacinaceae in the Paleocene Neotropics, including two new species of endocarps with affinities to Phytocreneae and Iodeae, clades currently restricted to the Old World tropics. Our findings support an early Paleogene diversification of the family in the Neotropics and the extirpation of tropical lineages in the Neotropics during the later Cenozoic.