Biodiversity was a vital foundation for human survival and development, and its conservation played a crucial role in maintaining Earth's ecosystem functions. Rare and endangered plants constituted an essential component of biodiversity, making their protection and research in China both urgent and practically significant. The Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) harbored a collection of rare and endangered plant species, which held significant scientific, economic, and social value. These resources were of great importance for biodiversity research and conservation at research stations, regional scales, and the national level. Based on the compiled Rare and Endangered Vascular Plant Inventory of CERN, this study analyzed the species composition, endangered status, and distribution across research stations of these plant resources. The findings aimed to provide a reference for systematic research, effective conservation, and sustainable utilization of rare and endangered plants at both individual and cross-station scales within CERN. The results showed that: (1) CERN hosted 189 rare and endangered plant species (140 genera, 75 families), including 7 ferns (5 genera, 5 families), 7 gymnosperms (7 genera, 4 families), and 175 angiosperms (128 genera, 66 families). Among these, 2 species had first-class state protection and 62 had second-class protection (List of National Key Protected Wild Plants); 133 were listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable (China's Biodiversity Red List); 31 appeared in threatened categories of the IUCN Red List; and 37 were included in CITES Appendix II. (2) These rare and endangered plants were distributed in 14 ecological field stations, 12 of which were forest ecosystem field stations. The ecological field stations with abundant rare and endangered plant species were located in regions with high plant community diversity and served as important in situ conservation sites for these species. (3) A total of 18 rare and endangered plant species were distributed across more than 2 ecological field stations, with one species occurring in 4 stations (the widest distribution). Ecological stations sharing rare and endangered plants were grouped into three clusters to facilitate collaborative research on their biological traits, ecological adaptations, endangerment mechanisms, and conservation-based utilization strategies. Given the multifaceted economic value of rare and endangered plants within CERN, we recommended that ecological field stations strengthened both protection measures for wild populations and expanded experimental demonstrations of sustainable utilization technologies, thereby better supporting local economic development.