DataLake: a georeferenced dataset of vascular plants from freshwater lakes of central-southern Italy

DataLake is a georeferenced dataset compiling 5140 occurrence records of aquatic and riparian vascular plants from 30 natural freshwater lakes located in central–southern Italy. The dataset integrates floristic information derived from both published literature and original field surveys conducted by the authors. Overall, DataLake includes records referring to 213 taxa (97 genera and 43 families). Each record contains taxonomic identification, lake name, geographic coordinates expressed in WGS84 decimal degrees, and associated metadata such as sampling date (when available), bibliographic source, and coordinate uncertainty. The dataset was designed to standardize heterogeneous floristic data and to provide an openly accessible resource supporting limnological, floristic, biodiversity and conservation-oriented research on Mediterranean freshwater lake ecosystems.