I was asking about 'recent' natural dispersal, since I didn't think
humans transported plants from the western Pacific to the New World
until European explorers came on the scene. Am I right on this? What's
the current story?

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 21:43:10 +0000 (UTC),
(mel turner) wrote:

In article ,
wrote...

For some time botanists have thought that the Sweet Potato in the
Pacific spread from South America in prehistoric times.

Are there any suspected cases of a reverse migration - that is plants
crossing from the old world, over the Pacific, to South America in
prehistoric times?

Do you mean just plants transported by humans, or do you include
natural long-distance dispersal? Perhaps try coconuts, Cocos nucifera
as a likely [but not uncontroversial] example.

cheers