Herbarium collection of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), Chile

Background This database gathers 10,721 specimens, belonging to 2,578 species from the Chilean vascular flora (angiosperms, gymnosperms and pteridophytes) deposited in the Herbarium of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV) in Chile. The PUCV botanical collection was started by the renowned botanist Otto Zöllner and represents a major natural historical legacy for central Chile, with decades of information represented through preserved specimens. This collection is currently deposited in the Curauma campus of the PUCV. This digitisation effort is part of the PUCV's endeavour to mobilise its biological collections and make them freely available through GBIF, encouraging national and international researchers to generate new knowledge, based on this invaluable heritage, which is a silent witness of the vast plant diversity that once existed in Chile and that is now vanishing due to anthropogenic drivers. New information The database provides occurrence records from 10,721 specimens of vascular flora held in the PUCV Herbarium, representing 2,578 species, 914 genera and 177 families. Each record includes data on taxonomy, geographic distribution, elevation and collection information (e.g. date of collection, legitimavit and determinavit of specimens, general observations). The database serves as a repository containing records from past decades on the diversity and distribution of plant species, mainly from the Chilean Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot.