ABSTRACT
The modern revolution in biogeography did not begin with plate tectonics. It began two decades earlier when Leon Croizat established geographic distributions as the empirical foundation of evolutionary biogeography. Comparative map analysis reveals patterns that are not accessible through other methods. The biogeography of
Microseris
(Angiosperms: Asteraceae) is used to illustrate the power of geographic analysis to provide unique insights into the biogeographic distributions and relationships of organisms. Explanations of dispersal as physical movement for
Microseris
are shown to be problematic by the congruent distributions and Pacific homology of this genus
with groups of diverse means of dispersal such as daisies, dragonflies, millipedes, eyebrights, and seaweeds. The role of tectonics and the historical implications of
Microseris
biogeography for molecular clock theory are briefly discussed.
