The Friends support maintenance of the excellence of the Farlow's collections, fulfillment of its research and educational objectives, and promulgation of and access to its resources.
About the Farlow Reference Library and Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany
William G. Farlow (1844-1919) was a Professor of Cryptogamic Botany at Harvard University. Farlow amassed collections of all cryptogams and books referring to them. The books and specimens were given to Harvard through the Farlow Bequest in 1919. These are the foundations of the Farlow Reference Library and Herbarium.
To date, the Farlow Herbarium houses nearly 1,400,000 specimens of lichenized and non-lichenized fungi, bryophytes, and algae. The collections are world-wide in scope; particular strengths are in bound, indexed exsiccatae, bryophytes and fungi from Asia, entomogenous fungi, Antarctic lichens, and special "authors" herbaria which contain many type specimens. The Herbarium also has an associated library, The Farlow Reference Library, including the Archives of the Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany. Currently, the New England Botanical Club cryptogamic collection is also housed in the Farlow Herbarium.