What is it about?
Across ~160 million years, compound leaves evolved at least 54 independent times in 63 angiosperm families. Comparative genomics of 414 genomes links this convergence to KNOX expansion, mainly from whole-genome duplications: KNOXI/KNOXM promote, KNOXII inhibits; a rare Fabaceae route uses LEAFY.
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Why is it important?
It identifies a shared, quantifiable genetic toolkit behind leaf-complexity convergence, showing how paleopolyploidy can repeatedly generate developmental innovation. This clarifies genotype–phenotype links in angiosperm diversification.
Perspectives
Future work should test when and where different KNOX copies are expressed during leaf primordium development, and how WGD retention shapes dosage and function. This will also explain rare alternative routes (e.g., LEAFY) within the same developmental logic.
Wenwu Wu
Zhejiang A and F University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Genetic basis for repeated evolution of compound leaves over deep time, The Plant Journal, April 2026, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.70888.
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