Extant distributions and molecular data are commonly used to elucidate the evolutionary history of plant lineages, such as the direction and timing of long-distance dispersal and diversification events. Such reconstructions fail to account for the vast portions of biogeographic histories that are lost to extinction and are only seen in the fossil record. We show a case example based on Paleocene to Miocene (60 to 19 Ma) Neotropical seeds of Vitaceae that extend beyond their current distribution range and demonstrate the need for paleobotanical data for understanding the biogeographical history of plants. We also show how the end-Cretaceous event, the initial rise of the proto-Central American islands during the Eocene, the Oligocene Andean orogeny, and the Miocene Panamanian Seaway, have likely played the most critical roles in Vitaceae origination, dispersal, and extinction in this part of the world.