The Polish National Plant Collection of Heuchera

The Polish National Plant Collection certificate was established in 2002 by the Polish Dendrology Society (http://www.ptd.pl/?page_id=1347#ZatwierdzoneKolekcje). It is aimed at supporting and encouraging the foundation of well-documented and researched collections of living specimens. The Polish National Collection of plant genus Heuchera was approved in 2012. It was founded in 2000 by Gabriela Sąkol in a private garden for ornamental, non-commercial purposes. The garden is located on the outskirts of Będzin, Poland. Now the outdoor collection consists more than 1,000 living specimens of species and cultivars. Plants in the collection have been acquired from both cultivated and wild sources. Most of species specimens was grown from native plant seeds harvested in the North America. It is the largest living collection of Heuchera species in Europe. There is also a digital library of plant images. The collection is being steadily increased. Each new acquired specimen is verified based on morphological features and correctly identified to taxon name. The long-time identification studies are supported of systematic review of the literature. Gabriela Sąkol is the author of the monograph on heucheras "Gatunki i odmiany żurawek (Heuchera L.) rodzina skalnicowatych (Saxifragaceae)" (2015, in Polish), available online at https://www.epnp.pl/ebook/A08864_gatunki.