Abstract: The composition of plant species and community characteristics are critical indicators of biodiversity, structural composition, service functions, stability, maintenance mechanisms, and successional dynamics in forest ecosystems. These factors form the basis of forest ecosystem research and are essential metrics for long-term monitoring of biological components within the China Ecosystem Research Network (CERN). The monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest, a zonal vegetation type in southern subtropical China, serves as the primary observation and research site at the Dinghushan Forest Ecosystem Research Station. In accordance with CERN monitoring standards, Dinghushan Station conducts surveys on long-term observation plots every five years, examining plants from the tree, shrub, herbaceous, epiphyte, and interlayer strata. This dataset includes data on plant composition and community characteristics from four surveys conducted between 1999 and 2015 in the monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest of Dinghushan. The establishment and dissemination of this dataset contribute valuable local data for advancing research on forest ecosystem biodiversity, community structure, stability, maintenance mechanisms, carbon sequestration, successional dynamics, and related topics. It also provides essential information for forest management, ecosystem function assessments, and ecological restoration efforts.

Key words: Dinghushan, monsoon evergreen broadleaf forest, species composition, community characteristics, long-term observation