Farlow Herbarium at Harvard University

The Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany is part of the Harvard University Herbaria in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The collection concentrates on fungi, lichens, algae and bryophytes, and its historic core is connected with William Gilson Farlow, a pioneer of American mycology and plant pathology. Herbarium specimens preserve the name, place, date, host and traces of earlier identifications. That allows a taxonomic publication to be set against material evidence.

This is above all a research facility, not a museum with a daily route for tourists. The official Harvard University Herbaria site states that work with the collections is possible Monday to Friday, generally between 9:00 and 17:00, by prior arrangement with staff. The building does not run permanent public displays. Anyone planning a visit should write in advance, describe the purpose and wait for confirmation; access to the library and to particular collections may have separate rules.

The value of the Farlow Herbarium does not lie in the number of drawers visible during a short visit. Nomenclatural types stabilise names, old specimens document former ranges, and new imaging methods and DNA analysis make it possible to ask the material questions its collector did not know. Limited tissue has to be protected in the process: taking a fragment requires consent and justification.

The digital catalogue helps in preparing a visit: a researcher can select a collection, a name or a collector in advance and ask about the availability of material. Not all information and images are complete online, however. Work on site should answer a specific question, and citing a specimen number allows others to return to the same source.

Address: 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. The coordinates in this profile indicate the Harvard University Herbaria complex, not a public exhibition entrance. Access details were checked on 30 July 2026; confirmation from the institution is required before travelling.

1.4 million specimens, but not a public exhibition

The Farlow Herbarium and Reference Library describes about 1.4 million specimens of fungi, lichens, algae, bryophytes and fossil plants, including nearly 75,000 types. Its historic collections and North American material are especially valuable for comparing present observations with labels written decades ago. An updated Darwin Core dataset was also published under CC BY 4.0 in July 2026, although an aggregator record never replaces inspection of the voucher. Farlow is a research facility, not a permanent public display. Consultation of collections or library material must be arranged with a project and requested material specified. Digital records have uneven image and georeference coverage, so search results should always be read with their metadata.