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The new interpretation of the geological history of the west and south-west Pacific, in the light of plate tectonic theory, is that the islands formerly lay much closer or in contact with each other and with the land masses which form the western rim of the Ocean. There have been massive increases in separation during the Tertiary because of ocean floor spreading. Plant distribution patterns in the region are re-interpreted against this history. Old World Winteraceae (centred around the Coral Sea) and Ficus section Pharmacosycea (ranging east to New Caledonia) are considered in detail. Attention of geologists is drawn to enigmas of phytogeography whose interpretation await refinement of the geological reconstruction, namely the high endemism of New Caledonia and amphi-Pacific plant genera of the lowland humid tropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]