Abstract Lianas influence forest ecosystem functions. On the other hand, the geographical distribution of these ecological functions has been poorly explored. Climbing types of lianas are associated with interspecific variation of them and may be related to their broad-scale distribution patterns and functions of liana communities. In this study, we investigated the distributional patterns of liana abundance and species richness in subtropical to subboreal zones of Japan, and differences in the distributional patterns and environmental drivers of liana abundance according to liana climbing type. We conducted surveys in 19 forest plots and established six 400-m2 subplots within each plot, and recorded the species, stem diameter, and climbing types of lianas with stem diameters ≥ 1 cm. We used generalised linear mixed effects models and model selection to examine the effects of climate, soil, and forest structural attributes on liana stem density and basal area. We recorded 37 liana species across the 19 sites (4.48 ha). Liana stem density and basal area ranged from 0 to 529 ha−1 and from 0 to 0.495 m2 ha−1, respectively, and composition of climbing type varied among sites. Twining and root climbers accounted for the majority of liana stem density, basal area, and species richness. The relationships of these two climbing types with environmental factors showed differences that may be attributable to climbing type and related characteristics. Our results suggest the geographical distributions of ecological functions of liana communities derived from differences in the composition of climbing types along environmental factors. Therefore, it is essential to consider climbing type and functional differences within lianas in future studies to understand the variation in ecological functions of liana communities. README This dataset was used for the statistical analyses in the paper in preparation. Sub_plot_data.csv Liana abundances, environmental factors, and site information for each subplot in 19 study sites in Japan. Subplots are 400 m2 (20 m × 20 m) quadrats. site_information site_name - Site_name. site_code - Site_code. plot_code - Subplot_code. longitude - Longitude of each plot (°E). latitude - Latitude of each plot (°N). altitude - Altitude of each plot (m). forest_type - Plots were classified into four types based on the composition of evergreen broadleaf, deciduous broadleaf, and evergreen coniferous trees. EC: evergreen coniferous forest, BC: mixed coniferous–broadleaf forest, BD: deciduous broadleaf forest, BE: evergreen broadleaf forest. The detailed definition of the forest type was described in Ishihara et al. (2011). forest_status - Plots were also classified into three categories based on the age of the forests. old growth: ≥ 150 years old, old secondary: ≥ 100 years old, secondary: < 100 years old. The detailed definition of the forest status was described in Ishihara et al. (2011). x, y - Coordinates of the point of origin of each subplot in the census plots (m). liana_stem_density & liana_basal_area Sum of liana stems (400 m-2) and basal area (cm2・400m-2) in each subplot. whole - All lianas. twining - Twining climbers. root - Root climbers. tendril - Tendril climbers. hook - Hook climbers. scrambling - Scrambling climbers. environmental_factors Environmental factors used in the analyses. MAT - Mean annual temperature (°C). MAP - Mean annual precipitation (mm). MSD - Maximum snow depth (cm). SOCN - Soil organic layer carbon:nitrogen ratio. SODM - Soil organic matter dry mass (g・100 cm-2). ln(SODM) - Log transformed values of soil organic matter dry mass. TSD - Tree stem density with a diameter of ≥ 5 cm at breast height (400 m-2). ln(TSD) - Log transformed values of tree stem density. TBA - Total basal area of trees with a diameter of ≥ 5 cm at breast height (cm2・400 m-2). ln(TBA) - Log transformed values of total basal area of trees. Values of latitude, longitude, altitude, SOCN, SODM, TSD, and TBA were derived from published articles (Ishihara et al. 2011, Niwa et al. 2016) and associated, updated datasets that are available on the website of the Biodiversity Center of Japan (https://www.biodic.go.jp/moni1000/findings/data/index.html). The definitions of forest type and status follow Ishihara et al. (2011). Values of MAT, MAP and MSD were derived from the Agro-Meteorological Grid Square Data, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (Ohno et al. 2016). References Ishihara, M. I. et al. 2011. Forest stand structure, composition, and dynamics in 34 sites over Japan. - Ecol. Res. 26: 1007–1008. Niwa, S. et al. 2016. Monitoring of the ground-dwelling beetle community and forest floor environment in 22 temperate forests across Japan. - Ecol. Res. 31: 607–608. Ohno, H. et al. 2016. Development of grid square air temperature and precipitation data compiled from observed, forecasted, and climatic normal data. - Clim. Biosph. 16: 71–79, https://amu.rd.naro.go.jp/.