The TRY Plant Trait Database is a free, open-access global repository of plant functional trait data compiled by a network of vegetation scientists (Future Earth, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, and iDiv). It contains millions of trait records linked to hundreds of thousands of plant taxa, integrating contributed datasets such as growth form classifications and other functional traits used in ecology and Earth system science. The dataset supports research and applications including trait-based biodiversity analyses, community assembly and ecosystem functioning studies, global trait mapping and upscaling, and model development for vegetation dynamics and land–climate feedbacks by providing standardized trait measurements with associated auxiliary information for reuse and synthesis.