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A diverse assemblage of terrestrial plant palynomorphs is reported from Koingnaas, a site in the Namaqualand region of the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. In excess of one hundred palynomorph types are recognised from three peaty clay horizons contained within a fluviatile sediment suite filling a palæochannel of Tertiary age. No stratigraphically significant differences occur between the three horizons. Angiosperm pollen dominates the assemblage, with a lesser contribution of gymnosperm pollen, and spores make up a significant although small component. The presence of podocarp pollen, angiosperm pollen with modern arboreal counterparts and fossilised wood suggests that the palæoflora consisted of a forested temperate to subtropical environment. The Koingnaas assemblage contains little evidence of the modern regional flora, but links with the Cape Floristic Region are indicated by pollen related to the Proteaceae and possibly the [`]palæoendemic' Bruniaceae. Previously, the palæochannel sediments were thought to be Pliocene, but an early Tertiary age is preferred for the Koingnaas site, supported by similarities with the Palæocene Arnot Pipe assemblage and the position of the palæochannel relative to early Tertiary palæodrainage patterns.