Middle Miocene palynoflora of the Legnica lignite deposit complex ...

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Familia POTAMOGETONACEAE
Potamogeton L.
Potamogetonacidites Sah 1967
(181) Potamogetonacidites paluster
(Manten 1958) Mohr 1984
Pl. 18, fi g. 5
1958 Inaperturopollenites paluster n. sp., Manten,
p. 461, fi g. 5.
1984 Potamogetonacidites paluster (Manten) n. comb.,
Mohr, p. 60, pl. 7, fi g. 12.
R e m a r k s. Fossil pollen grains of Potamogeton
are rarely found in the Polish Miocene
and Pliocene (Oszast 1973, Oszast & Stuchlik
1977, Stuchlik et al. 1990, Kohlman-Adamska
1993). Potamogetonacidites paluster occurs in
Europe in the Oligocene to Pliocene deposits,
and represents cosmopolitan (P/A) climatic element
(Stuchlik et al. 2009). Two pollen grains
of this species were found in the analysed
material (in the Mużaków series and Lusatian
seam).
Nowadays the genus Potamogeton contains
about 100 species of cosmopolitan aquatic
plants (Heywood 1978).
Ordo ?ALISMATALES
Familia ?ARACEAE
(182) ?Araceae type
Pl. 20, fi gs 5a, b, 6
Pollen grain circular in outline, 42 μm in
diameter. Exine about 1 μm thick, covered
with verrucae 1.5–5.0 μm in diameter.
Tetrad circular-triangular in outline, 60
μm in diameter. Elements of tetrad (?pollen
grains) circular-oval in outline, 36–40 μm in
size. Exine 1.5–2.0 μm thick, surface baculateverrucate.
Elements of sculpture 1–4 μm in
size, rather densely but irregularly distributed
on the surface.
R e m a r k s. These sporomorphs, of rare type
of structure, are similar to pollen of the recent
Amorphophallus Blume ex Decne. (Araceae),
nearest the species A. abyssinicus (see van der
Ham et al. 1998). Only one single pollen grain
and one tetrad were found in the Komorniki
profi le.
Ordo POALES
Familia CYPERACEAE
Cyperaceaepollis Krutzsch 1970
(183) Cyperaceaepollis neogenicus
Krutzsch 1970
Pl. 18, fi g. 13
1970a Cyperaceaepollis neogenicus n. sp., Krutzsch,
p. 66, pl. 7, fi gs 4–14.
R e m a r k s. Pollen grains related to the recent
Carex L., Scirpus L., and Cladium R. Br. (Cyperaceae)
represent cosmopolitan (P/A) element, and
occur in deposits since the Miocene in Germany
(Krutzsch 1970a), Slovakia (Planderová 1990)
and Hungary (Nagy 1969, 1992). In the Polish
Tertiary they have been found in the Lower and
Middle Miocene deposits of northern and central
parts of the Polish Lowland (Ziembińska-
Tworzydło 1996, Stuchlik et al. 2009). In the
studied material they were encountered sporadically,
in quantities up to 1–2%.
(184) Cyperaceaepollis piriformis
Thiele-Pfeiffer 1980
Pl. 18, fi gs 11, 12
1964 Cladium sp.; Stuchlik, p. 75, pl. 23, fi g. 4.
1980 Cyperaceaepollis piriformis n. sp., Thiele-Pfeiffer,
p. 121, pl. 7, fi gs 20–22.
R e m a r k s. Pollen grains of this fossil species
are morphologically similar to pollen of the
recent Carex L. and Cladium R. Br. (Thiele-
Pfeiffer 1980). They occur in the Upper Eocene
to Miocene deposits, and represent cosmopolitan
(P/A) element (Stuchlik et al. 2009). They
were found in four samples from the Mużaków
series; in one of them they reached 8%.
Today the genus Cladium (3 species) occurs
almost all over the world on swampy and
marshy areas (Cook et al. 1974). The Cyperaceae
is a cosmopolitan family, particularly
common in open and wet places.
Familia POACEAE
Graminidites Cookson 1947 ex Krutzsch 1970
Subfamilia BAMBUSOIDEAE
(185) Graminidites bambusoides Stuchlik
in Ziembińska-Tworzydło et al. 1994
Pl. 19, fi gs 1–3