Chinese scientists have discovered the phylogenetic and bio-geographic characteristics of Cyananthus, a flower endemic to the Sino-Himalayan areas, as well as implications for the evolution of its sexual system. Vicariance resulting from the extensive uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains played an important role in the subsequent diversification of the genus.

Sun Hang, a researcher at the Kunming Institute of Botany, led a group of academics to fully investigate the plant and published the breakthrough in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, an internationally renowned academic journal. The National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences provided financial support for the project.