palynomorph

This term is a highly specialized technical descriptor used almost exclusively within the fields of geology, paleontology, and palynology. It serves as a categorical umbrella for any organic-walled microfossil, meaning it encompasses a wide variety of biological remains including pollen, spores, and dinoflagellate cysts.

Because it refers to a specific type of physical specimen found in sedimentary layers, it is used in a descriptive, scientific register. It is rarely encountered outside of academic papers or laboratory reports concerning stratigraphic dating and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.