Abstract
Winteraceae family consists of 5 genera that are disjunctly distributed in Madagascar, Australasia, Central and South America. Phylogenetic relationships in Winteraceae were reconstructed using the molecular data (ITS-5.8S rDNA and trnL-trnF sequences). Paleobotanical data indicate the origin of Winteraceae in the north of Gondwana in the Lower Cretaceous. The calibration of the phylogenetic tree with 3 fossil records allowed to estimate the divergence time of Takhtajania at ca. 77 Ma, which correlates with the fragmentation of Eastern Gondwana (ca. 84-95 Ma). The origin of Drimys was caused by the breakup of Antarctica and Australia. Disjunctions in Zygogynum can be explained by several episodes of long-distance dispersal.