Fig. 2
From: The Sino-Himalayan flora evolved from lowland biomes dominated by tropical floristic elements
Divergence patterns of angiosperm families, genera, and species at different geological times, and four periods and three major shifts of the evolutionary history of the Sino-Himalayan angiosperm flora. Period I (Cretaceous–Paleocene) marks the onset of flora characterized by the emergence of angiosperm families. Period II (Eocene–Oligocene) marks the gradual development of flora characterized by the formation of angiosperm genera. Period III (Miocene) is characterized by the rapid divergence of angiosperm genera. Period IV (Pliocene–Quaternary) is characterized by the rapid divergence of angiosperm species. The three gray vertical dotted lines represent three major shifts in genera and species divergence. Blue, gray, and yellow lines represent the percentages of families, genera, and species, respectively, that diverged during each five-million-year period. Pli., Pliocene; Plt., Pleistocene; QU., Quaternary