XVI International Botanical Congess
At present, representatives of the Chenopodiaceae are distributed nearly worldwide. There are at least 7 major centers of taxonomic diversity of the family, 4 in the Northern and 3 in the Souther Hemisphere. These centers are different in species richness and origin. Judging from the available taxonomic and phytogeographical data, ancestors of the Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae initially evolved in Gondwanaland when its splitting landmasses were still in close proximity. However, the major events of their evolution occurred in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, the original southern centers declined, but subsequently were considerably enriched by southward migrations and long-distance dispersal.