World list of Quaternary pollen and spore atlases, an update

In the past decades, numerous studies have focused on the morphological identification of fossil pollen grains and fern spores. This paper provides an updated compilation of regional Quaternary pollen and spore floras, categorized per continent. This list includes books, standalone papers, series under a common title, textbooks, and open access electronic pollen reference collections available at websites. Regional pollen floras cover diverse geographical scales, from urban areas and national parks to mountain areas and broader phytogeographical units. This update builds on the ‘World list of Quaternary pollen and spore atlases’ published in 1998, incorporating over 300 new references from 1998 to 2025, bringing the total number of references to almost 800. The quality of photographs varies much, pollen identification keys are not always provided, and some publications remain difficult to access. A thorough understanding of available printed literature and online pollen reference collections is essential for improving the accuracy of fossil pollen and spore identification.