A dated phylogeny of the Neotropical Dipterygeae clade reveals 30 million years of winged papilionate floral conservatism in the otherwise florally labile early-branching papilionoid legumes.

This article focuses on the evolutionary history and floral morphology of the Dipterygeae clade within the Fabaceae subfamily Papilionoideae. Using comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S and plastid matK and trnL intron sequences, the study confirms the monophyly of the four genera in Dipterygeae (Dipteryx, Monopteryx, Pterodon, and Taralea) and reveals approximately 30 million years of evolutionary conservatism in their unique winged papilionate floral architecture. Despite this floral stability, fruit morphology within the clade shows significant evolutionary lability, with diverse dispersal strategies that may explain the clade's ecological success across various Neotropical biomes. The findings highlight the contrast between the conserved floral traits and the variable fruit forms, suggesting ecological interactions with specialized pollinators and protective calyx structures have contributed to the persistence and diversification of Dipterygeae.