Fleshy-fruited invasive alien plant population change over time along roadsides of South Africa

This dataset contains field and image-derived observations used to assess temporal changes in the abundance of fleshy-fruited invasive alien plant species along roadside environments in South Africa’s Grassland Biome. The data underpin a repeat photography study combining historical imagery (Google Street View®) with contemporary field surveys conducted in 2022. Observations were collected across approximately 1,700 km of surfaced national and provincial roads spanning four grassland bioregions: Dry Highveld Grassland, Mesic Highveld Grassland, Drakensberg Grassland, and Sub-escarpment Grassland. Each record represents a georeferenced sampling point where species presence and abundance were quantified. The dataset includes paired temporal observations (2010 and 2022), enabling the analysis of changes in species abundance over a 12-year period. Historical data were derived from Google Street View® panoramas, while recent data were collected through in situ roadside surveys using repeat photography methods.