Fossils of Ficus and Morus fruits have been found on the African continent, and are used to approximate the origin of the family Moraceae to a maximum of 135 million years ago. In a recent study using fossil fruits, Bayesian molecular dating, and maximum likelihood, researchers attempted to reconstruct the ancestral history of Dorstenia with ITS (internal transcribed spacer) sequences from ribosomal DNA of 35 Dorstenia species and seven out-group species from the different tribes within the Moraceae. The goal was to resolve a long-standing issue regarding Dorstenia; whether this genus diverged and radiated prior to the split of Africa and South America about 105 mya, and members of this genus are on separate continents by vicariance, or if this genus diverged post-split and Dorstenia became established in the Neotropics by seed dispersal.
