Abstract: Full information within Dryad: https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.15146/R3M97W
This data archive presents a complete compilation of the tree species of Panama, including the full geographic range and local abundance of each. The species list is based on the most recent monographs, especially the Flora Mesoamericana, along with herbarium records, especially those online at the Missouri Botanic Garden, and our tree census plots, mostly in the forests around the Panama Canal, including the 50 ha plot at Barro Colorado. The full set of occurrence records was collected from the BIEN database and from Tropicos (Missouri Botanical Garden), plus our tree plots, and a geographic range was calculated as the minimum convex polygon around all occurrences. Details of methods can be found in Condit et al. (2020), and that paper includes a complete bibliography of the taxonomic literature consulted.
Species were included based if they root in the ground as free-standing woody plants, and reach a height of at least 3 m as reproductives. Epiphytes, lianas, and herbs were excluded. Species were included broadly, thus even if only occasionally terrestrial and free-standing while usually not; this aspect forces a loose gray area between trees and non-trees. The category shrub or descriptor shrubby were never considered, as they are poorly defined and used in inconsistent ways. An online version of the database (http://conditdatacenter.tech/PanamaTrees/) includes range maps and notes on growth form for marginal species. Tables of all coordinates from BIEN and Tropicos used in the estimates of range size can be downloaded from http://conditdatacenter.tech/TreeMap/txt.