The dataset has been created as part of the research activities for the Nordic People and Plants project. The project aims to rediscover Nordic plant traditions. This dataset represents plant use data collected from two key Norwegian historical sources of plant knowledge: Flora Norvegica (J.E. Gunnerus, 1766-1776): A major Enlightenment natural history work in Norway. Published in Trondheim in 1766, this was the first explicitly Norwegian flora. It gives an insight in the Norwegian daily life in that period through descriptions of plant uses. Planter og Tradisjon: Floraen i levende tale og tradisjon i Norge 1925-1973 (O.A. Høeg, 1974): Norway's most important ethnobotanical compilation. Høeg corresponded with informants all over Norway to document what was left of oral traditions related to plants. Most of the data is presented as he received from the informants.