Epiphytes are hyper‐diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non‐vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer‐reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non‐vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non‐vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events.

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Brazil has high levels of biodiversity and has received strong criticism for the increasing country-wide deforestation that threatens it. Although a significant percentage of land area in Brazil is protected, the areas are insufficient and unevenly distributed. Many studies have contributed to the biogeographical knowledge of Brazilian flora, but no endemicity analysis (EA) has been conducted including all endemic angiosperms. We investigated the spatial component, drawing on a huge and taxonomically diverse dataset based on 827 016 records collected over the last two centuries. We conducted an EA for 15 034 species from 173 families using an optimality criterion with 2°and 3°grid sizes, in order to search for distributional concordance, to identify the biogeographical units and discuss the implications for conservation. Six analyses were run for basal angiosperms, monocots and eudicots. The EA recovered 66 consensus areas (CAs). The concordance of CAs enabled the identification of five best-supported areas of endemism--three in the Atlantic and Parana Forest and two areas in the Cerrado province--supported by species of 120 families. The age of divergence for some genera that contributed significantly to the identification of areas recovered in the Cerrado coincides with the recent, <10 Ma, estimated age of that province. By contrast, the areas in the Atlantic and Parana Forest are supported by genera with earlier diversification >30 Ma, supporting an ancient origin. Most areas in the Atlantic Forest are partially superimposed with the limits of the protected areas, however, big gaps were identified in the Cerrado. Protecting Brazilian biomes was at the heart of Brazil's environmental policy. Regrettably, this scenario has radically changed based on misleading divergences in conservation policy. Areas of endemism are pivotal for biodiversity conservation due to the common evolutionary history shared by their endemic taxa. Thus, we hope that these congruent patterns of endemism support the establishment of biodiversity priorities.