QUB | Archaeology and Palaeoecology | The 14Chrono Centre

Catalogue of pollen types

Notes on pteridophytes

1. See Birks (1973); Jones & Blackmore (1988).
2. Included in Lycopodium annotinum-type by Moore et al. (1989), but is the only species of the type found in the British Isles.
3. See Stafford (1991).
4. See Birks (1973) for separation of Isoetes lacustris and Isoetes echinospora. Isoetes histrix has a spiny perine.
5. Pteropsida comprise families Ophioglossaceae to Salviniaceae. Spores in the families Polypodiaceae, Thelypteridaceae, Athyriaceae, Woodsiaceae, Dryopteridaceae, and Blechnaceae are monolete. All these except Polypodiaceae may lose their perine, and are then indistinguishable from each other. Spores in the other families are trilete, and will normally be recognisable at the levels given. Even if all other features are lost, a spore will always have a scar that can be seen to be monolete or trilete. Therefore, the appropriate indeterminable categories might be 'Pteropsida (trilete) indet.' and 'Pteropsida (monolete) indet.'.
6. Moore et al. (1989) describe two Ophioglossum vulgatum types, on criteria that cut across species. Since this does not help to narrow the identification, the distinction is not included here.
7. Included in Botrychium lunaria-type by Moore et al. (1989), but is the only species of the type found in the British Isles.
8. Equivalent to Polypodium vulgare-type of Moore et al. (1989).
9. No reference material or descriptions seen for Athyrium flexile.
10. Equivalent to Athyrium alpestre-type of Birks (1973).
11. Distinctions within the family differ from those of Birks (1973). No reference material or descriptions seen for Dryopteris remota
12. Included in Polystichum-type in Moore et al. (1989), but is the only genus of the type found in the British Isles.
13. Not native today, but has occurred (megaspores and massulae) in pre-Holocene Quaternary warm stages.
14. Not native today, but has occurred (megasporangia) in the pre-Holocene Quaternary.