Botanic records from the forest reserves of south west Ghana: Plant species distribution data with checklist and conservation assessments from 114 vegetation plots

<p>South west Ghana is a biodiversity hotspot within the western African lowland tropical rainforest region, supporting many endemic and restricted range plant species. This dataset comprises botanic records from five forest reserves of south west Ghana (Ankasa, Boi Tano, Tano Nimri, Jema Assemkron, Nini Suhein). Vascular plant species distribution data (12,232 records) from 114 vegetation plot samples are presented, surveyed between 1981 and 2015. A plant species checklist including conservation assessments for each species is included. Nomenclature is current as of 2016. The dataset is linked to the publication Marshall et al, 2023, Implications for conservation assessment from flux in the botanical record over 20 years in south west Ghana, Ecology and Evolution <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9775">https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9775</a>. The dataset is also used in Marshall et al, 2022, Predictors of plant endemism in two west African forest hotspots, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10:980660 <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.980660">https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.980660</a>.</p>