The idea of National Plant Collections arose in 1981 in Great Britain. They are the richest in the given country, led by specialists collections of plants with a documented origin, organized under the systematic account. A commission specially appointed to it, comprised of scientists and practitioners dealing with specific groups of plants is granting the status of the National Plant Collection to individual collections. In Poland, at present, there are 25 of such collections, and the commission established by the Polish Dendrological Society is approving them.