The Plant Collections Network (PCN) (formerly the North American Plant Collections Consortium) is a group of North American botanical gardens and arboreta that coordinates a continent-wide approach to plant germplasm preservation, and promotes excellence in plant collections management. The program is administered by the American Public Gardens Association from its headquarters in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in collaboration with the USDA- Agricultural Research Service. Current objectives of the Plant Collections Network are to: Build Awareness – of both Plant Collections Network & value of documented plant collections Promote Standards of Excellence – in plant collections management; and Expand Diversity of Collections – target existing collections, identify gaps for future collections The network is intended to represent woody and herbaceous ornamentals, both native and exotic. The main objective for each network member is to assemble a comprehensive group of plants for a particular taxon, collecting plants from different populations throughout their natural range that are both taxonomically and genetically distinct. Participating institutions maximize the potential value of their collections by making efficient use of available resources through a coordinated continent-wide approach, and strengthening their own collections through collaboration with others. Criteria for participation in the Plant Collections Network are: American Public Gardens Association membership Active collections management program including plant records database, accession labels, maps Long-term commitment to maintain collection Endorsement of governing body Current collection has 50% or more of ultimate collection scope Collections policy Curator for collection; and Access to collection for research, evaluation and plant introduction The accreditation process includes submitting a written application for each collection to be considered, then a peer site reviewer conducts an onsite assessment and submits a report with recommendations. As of March 2016, Network participants and Nationally Accredited Plant Collections™ included: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Agavaceae - Sonoran Desert; 65 taxa Arboretum at Arizona State University Phoenix; 300 taxa, 40 varieties Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University Acer; multi-site Carya; 16 taxa, 11 spp Fagus; 26 taxa Stewartia; 11 taxa Syringa; 238 taxa, 20 spp Tsuga; 72 taxa, 7 spp Atlanta Botanical Garden Acer; 82 taxa Magnolia; multi-site Sarracenia; 78 taxa Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory and Arboretum Acer; multi-site Hamamelis; 161 taxa Magnolia; multi-site Quercus; multi-site Ulmus; 62 taxa Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Alpine Plants of Colorado; 87 taxa Boyce Thompson Arboretum Fabaceae - Desert Legumes; 1454 taxa as seeds, 206 taxa as plants Quercus; multi-site University of British Columbia Botanical Garden Acer; multi-site Magnolia;