The Carex phalaroides group and Carex sect. Bracteosellae are two species complexes that exhibit similar distribution patterns, despite being two evolutionarily independent lineages. Their centre of diversity is displayed on the eastern coast of the Southern Cone, with disjunct lineages that have successfully colonized and diversified in central Chile and throughout the central and northern Andes. Given the scarce research about the biogeography of herbaceous lineages in the Southern Cone, our aim is to elucidate their evolutionary trajectories and compare their biogeographical histories from a macroecological perspective, considering the major geoclimatic events in these regions.