Fossil pollen and macrofossils of Epacridaceae are uncommon and are ma
inly known from Tasmania and other parts of south-eastern Australia. M
ost epacrids have generalized ericalean pollen although the pollen of
some genera is distinctive. Ericalean pollen is known from the late Cr
etaceous. The first occurrence of Paripollis orchesis pollen, which is
consistent with some extant Epacris species, probably means that Epac
ridaceae, and possibly the tribe Epacrideae, had differentiated by the
Middle Eocene. The fossil record at present provides minimum ages of
the first occurrences of major subfamilial taxa. Macrofossils of subfa
mily Richeoideae and of several morphotypes of the tribe Epacrideae ar
e known from the Early Oligocene. Tribe Cosmelieae pollen and macrofos
sils are known from the Early Pleistocene, and are probably Sprengelia
. The oldest Australasian fossils of tribe Styphelieae are leaves in l
atest Oligocene-Early Miocene parts of the Latrobe Valley coal. Endoca
rps identified as Epacridaceae from the Eocene of England need further
investigation. Pollen of Monotoca, or a close relative, is known from
the mid-Miocene. Possible Trochocarpa leaves occur in Late Oligocene/
Early Miocene sediments, and fossil leaves indistinguishable from the
extant Tasmanian rainforest species, T. gunnii and T. cunninghamii, ar
e known from the Early Pleistocene in Tasmania. (C) 1996 Annals of Bot
any Company