AMUPED. A database of American useful plants in Europe

We present AMUPED (American Useful Plants in Europe Database), a curated and openly accessible dataset documenting archaeobotanical evidence of American plant species recovered from archaeological contexts in Europe from the late 15th to the 20th century. The database currently includes 183 validated records from 141 archaeological sites across 14 European countries, representing 24 taxa from 11 botanical families. Each record contains taxonomic identification, plant part, archaeological context, dating, inferred use, and site metadata. The dataset is complemented by pollen data, domestication sites, and historical documentation of introduced taxa. Data were compiled through a systematic review of published literature and excavation reports and validated by subject specialists to ensure contextual consistency. AMUPED enables analyses of spatial and temporal patterns in plant introductions and the cultural significance of New World taxa in post-1492 Europe, supporting research in archaeobotany, historical ecology, and transatlantic biocultural exchange. This paper presents the rationale, structure, and scope of AMUPED, describes the methods used for data collection and quality control, and highlights key findings. We also discuss current limitations, including geographic and chronological gaps, and outline directions for future expansion, such as the integration of microbotanical data and historical sources. By centralising archaeobotanical records previously scattered across national databases and grey literature, AMUPED provides a foundation for comparative and interdisciplinary research. The database remains open to future contributions from the research community.