INFORMATION SYSTEMS 
"PRC" 
SURVEY 
(Plant Records Center) 
The Plant Records Center (PRC) is an organization aimed at 
applying computer techniques to the control and processing of 
information about the cultivated plants of North America. 
It is located at the Tyler Arboretum in Lima, Pennsylvania. Dr. 
Robert D. MacDonald is Director. He has a staff of approximately 
seven people including a botanist/taxonomist, a botanist/ systems 
analyst, an editor, an administrative assistant and four people 
involved in data automation. Development of computer programs 
and computer processing is performed under contract by a service 
bureau. 
The Center is operating under a two-year grant from Longwood 
Gardens Foundation, and hopes to receive subsequent grants for 
a total period of ten years during which time it will complete 
development of a major data base concerning living plant collec¬ 
tions of North America. After that they plan to be selfsupporting 
by offering for sale a variety of products in the form of computer 
reports. They are already selling some products and services 
on a limited scale as their data base evolves. 
MAJOR FUNCTIONS--PRC is currently performing three major 
functions. First, they are developing a machine readable data 
base inventorying the living plant collections of botanical gar¬ 
dens and arboreta and of miscellaneous other special collections 
in North America. This project will be discussed in more detail 
in the remainder of this report. 
Second, they are preparing registrations and checklists of 
cultivar names for selected genera by genus to the infraspecific 
level. These lists, in addition to the scientific name, provide 
a bibliographic reference to place of publication and, in some 
cases, the place of origin of the cultivar and a brief note on 
its distinguishing characteristics. Validity of data is checked 
by the registration authority which is normally part of a 
particular plant society. PRC is working on their first check 
the above information, they will 
based on the existence of specimens 
list now. In addition to 
develop distribution maps 
in botanical gardens. 
Their third function 
ice or plant buyers guide 
is to provide a plant directory serv- 
to rare and unusual plants. 
INVENTORY OF LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS— The living plant 
inventory is now under development. The inventory consists of a 
growing computer-readable file of records for plant specimens in 
botanical gardens, arboreta and other special sites in North 
America. It is being built by inventorying one site at a time and 
generating a computer record for each living plant specimen at the 
site. At the present time data have been input to the system for 
Longwood Gardens and the Fairchild Arboretum. Data for the US 
National Arboretum are now being converted to computer records. 
