Acta Palaeobot. 41(1): 3–13, 2001 Pollen analysis of the Middle Miocene profile from Legnica, southwestern Poland AGNIESZKA WACNIK and ELZ ˙ BIETA WOROBIEC W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland, e-mail: wacnik@ib-pan.krakow.pl, worobiec@ib-pan.krakow.pl Received 16 May 2001; accepted for publication 12 July 2001 ABSTRACT. Palynological analysis of 26 samples of the Miocene deposits from Legnica site (east field, 47/62 profile) has been presented. The samples consisted of material from the II Lusatian brown coal seam, the Muz ˙a- ków series and the I Henryk brown coal seam. During the studies the presence of 97 taxa including 27 palaeo- tropical taxa was evidenced. The results have been used for the reconstruction of changes in the local vegetation during the sedimentation time of deposits under study. The following types of fossil plant communities have been distinguished: swamp forest, bush swamp, riparian forest and mixed mesophytic forest. The clear and constant predominance of swamp forest pollen taxa in the total sum implies the dominant role of this type of communities in the formation of brown coal deposits. The age of the flora has been defined as the Badenian. KEY WORDS: pollen analysis, brown coal, plant communities, Badenian, Lower Silesia, Poland INTRODUCTION The Tertiary formations from SW Poland have been the subject of many geological and palaeobotanical investigations which include several important palynological studies. The detailed information about geology and the Neogene floras of this region have been presented in many publications (Stachurska et al. 1967, 1971, 1973, Sadowska 1970, 1977, 1993, 1995, Dyjor 1970, Dyjor & Sadowska 1977, 1984, Sadowska & Zastawniak 1978, Jahn et al. 1984). The first geological studies in the Boleslawiec-Legnica-S ´ cinawa region were carried out by Berg (1936), whereas paly- nological research in the Boleslawiec and Ze- brzydowa region was started by Romanowicz (1961). Palynological studies in the S ´ cinawa brown coal bed were carried out by Ziembin ´- ska (1964), Ziembin ´ ska and Niklewski (1966) and Ziembin ´ ska-Tworzydlo (1974). Eighteen palynological profiles from Legni- ca site have been studied in the sixties and seventies of last century (Raniecka-Bobrowska & Grabowska 1963, Sadowska et al. 1976, 1981, Sadowska 1977, Grabowska & Slodkow- ska 1993). The profile Legnica 47/62 has been preliminary analysed by Sadowska et al. (1981), and Neogene sedimentary series as well as brown coal seams were distinguished then. The results of our palynological investi- gations at Legnica are partly comparable with profiles investigated earlier, but the aim of our study was the reconstructions of fossil plant communities and main features of palaeocli- mate during the sedimentation time of studied deposits. In addition in our profile the samp- ling resolution was smaller, a greater amount of samples was taken and the number of counted sporomorphs was higher, so it was possible to make a general comparison of the regional changes of vegetation. GEOLOGY The Neogene deposits of the Legnica brown coal bed complex are mainly of continental origin and they are composed of replicated complexes of clays, sands, gravels and lignites. For example the following Neogene lithostrati- graphic units have been distinguished in this