Acta Palaeobotanica 49(1): 5–133, 2009 Middle Miocene palynofl ora of the Legnica lignite deposit complex, Lower Silesia, Poland ELŻBIETA WOROBIEC W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland; e-mail:
[email protected] Received 18 November 2008; accepted for publication 11 May 2009 ABSTRACT. Palynological analysis of three profi les of the Miocene deposits from Legnica site (east fi eld, 33/56 and 41/52 profi les) and Ruja site (fragment of the Komorniki 97/72 profi le) has been presented. The samples consisted of material from the 2nd Lusatian lignite seam, the Mużaków series, the 1st Henryk lignite seam and grey clays of the Poznań series. The age of the fl ora was defi ned as Badenian (?Late Karpatian – Late Badenian). During the studies a total of 201 taxa from 96 genera (including 195 taxa from 92 genera of pollen and spores) were identifi ed. The systematic part of this work gives descriptions of selected sporomorphs and phytoplankton microfossils. Some informations about botanical affi nity, occurrence in fossil fl oras and in the studied material, as well as about allied recent plants are given in remarks. The results are presented in three pollen diagrams. The taxa have been classifi ed to an appropriate palaeofl oristical element mainly on the basis of the checklist of selected pollen and spores taxa from the Neogene deposits. The dominance of warm-temperate (A1) element and frequency of palaeotropical taxa in various parts of the profi les point to a warm-temperate climate. The results were used for reconstruction of changes in local vegetation during the sedimentation of deposits under study.