Paleobiology of the genus Hypericum (Hypericaceae): a survey of the fossil record and its palaeogeographic implications

Genus Hypericum is one of the 100 largest genera in angiosperms with nearly 500 species. Despite its worldwide, nearly cosmopolitan distribution and apparently old age – there are fossil remains of relatives from the Mid Cretaceous - the fossil record of Hypericum has been largely overlooked in phylogenetic studies. Here, we survey the fossil record of Hypericum from the literature, with special emphasis on the oldest fossil remain, Hypericum antiquum, from which we reassess its diagnostic characters. We evaluate the implications of this record in reconstructing the past geographic distribution of genus Hypericum.