Paleoflora of the Messel Formation

Only a single dinoflagellate taxon has been described formally from the Messel formation. Based on the predominance in layers where heavy nearshore runoff or slippage is present, its suggested Messelodinium thielepfeifferae was likely an inhabitant of warm nearshore waters in the adult stage or wind and wave action resulted in large accumulation of the cysts. M. thielepfeifferae populations are most prevalent in the older layers of the lake, when it was suggested to be holomictic and become absent in the youngest layers when green algae become dominant with the lake shifting to meromictic conditions and the water chemistry changed. ==Charophyta==

Olaf Lenz et al (2011) briefly noted the presence of the Zygnemataceae fossil genus Ovoidites, but only gave general population densities with no enumeration on species information. ==Chlorophyta==

Several chlorophyte green algae are identified from the Messel Formation, with the greatest concentrations being found in the youngest layers. In the older layers Tetraedron minimum is a distinct component of the yearly varves in the lake, with large blooms occurring to form the lighter summer portions of the varve couplets. In the younger layers, Botryococcus species become the most prolific, having taken over as a major phytoplankton taxon from T. minimum and the dinoflagellate Messelodinium thielepfeifferae. ==Pteridophytes==

Laurales Magnoliales ==Monocots==

Alismatales Arecales Liliales Pandanales Poales ==Basal eudicots==

Proteales Ranunculales ==Superasterids==

Campanulids Cornales Ericales Lamiids ==Superrosids==

Fabids Malvids Myrtales Saxifragales Vitaceae ==Incertae sedis==

Carpolitus is a plant morphogenus circumscribed for fossil fruits and seeds that are distinct but not identifiable to defined taxa. Collinson, Manchester, & Wilde (2012) described but did not name 63 distinct Carpolithus morphotypes from the Messel Formation. ==Pollen and spores==

The first foray into Messel palynology was produced by H. D. Pflug (1952) with follow-up papers in 1957 and coauthored with P. Thomas in 1953. The pollen and spore record was revised and expanded by Heidemarie Thiele-Pfeiffer (1988) who provided the largest in depth palynological work focusing exclusively on the Messel Formation. Pteridophyte spores Lycophyte spores Conifer pollens Basal angiosperm pollens Chloranthalean pollens Magnoliid pollens Monocot pollens Alismatalean pollens Arecalean pollens Commelinid pollens Superasterid pollens Campanulid pollens Cornalean pollens Ericalean pollens Lamiid pollens Santalalean pollens Superrosid pollens Fabid pollens Malvid pollens Myrtalean pollens Incertae sedis pollens ==References==