Spurge Fig 2 (IMAGE) Penn State Caption A compound infructescence fossil showing preserved fruits and seeds attached to branches. The 52-million-year-old fossil fruits and leaves that the researchers identified as belonging the the Macaranga-Mallotus clade (MMC) of the spurge family suggest that the MMC, long considered to have Asian origins, may have first appeared in Gondwanan South America before spreading around the globe. Credit Courtesy of Peter Wilf Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted. License CC BY-NC-ND Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.