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In this review, Patagonian phytogeographical patterns are analysed from a global and evolutionary perspective that takes into account aspects from the geology, climatology and plant evolution. The biomes contained within the different climatic belts are inferred through time for the southwestern Gondwana supercontinent on the basis of palaeogeographical reconstructions, climate-sensitive rocks and plant distribution. Some current plant components of Patagonia can be traced back to early Mesozoic times, to the Triassic and Jurassic mesophytic floras. The main features of the Cretaceous and Palaeogene Patagonian floras are described and compared with other Gondwanic areas that shared, at the time, more plant components than they do today. The Neogene floras are analysed in relation to the rise of the Andes and the global climatic cooling, which differentiated the Andean and the Extra-Andean regions, and ended in the modern cool-temperate Andean forest and the arid steppe. (C) 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 103, 409-422.