56 Rhodora [MarcH 
THE HERBARIUM OF THE NEW ENGLAND BOTANICAL 
CLUB. 
WALTER DEANE. 
As the exponent of the flora of New England, the Herbarium of 
the New England Botanical Club is the object toward which much of 
the activity of the Club is directed. It is the purpose of the members 
to illustrate our flora by flowering and fruiting specimens of every 
species known to occur within New England. It is also desired that 
each species shall be represented from numerous stations in order that 
it may be shown under all the varying conditions of exposure, soil, 
latitude, altitude, and the like, offered by our six states. Especially 
important is this in these days of close study, when new species are 
continually being distinguished from those hitherto recognized. 
The Herbarium was started in the spring of 1896, and at the date 
of writing, January, 1899, it contains 10,962 mounted and classified 
sheets of phanerogams and vascular cryptogams, besides a considerable 
quantity of bryophytes and thallophytes, as well as phanerogamic 7z- 
serende which have not as yet been incorporated in the organized 
collection. In addition to many contributions from the various mem- 
bers of the Club, the following valued accessions have been received by 
gift: Many duplicates from the Gray Herbarium, including a consider- 
able part of the collection of the late William Boott; a carefully pre- 
pared set of plants from Mr. J. H. Whittemore, illustrating the native 
flora of his estate in Middlebury, Connecticut ; the herbarium of the 
late Herbert A. Young, including the plants enumerated in his Flora of 
Oak Island, Massachusetts ; the entire herbarium of the Metropolitan 
Park Commission, representing the flora of the large park-reservations - 
about Boston; the New England plants from the herbarium of the 
Middlesex Institute, including those illustrating Dame and Collins' 
Flora of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. 'The late Edwin Faxon 
contributed a critically identified set of mosses from the White Moun- 
tains and other parts of New England. Mr. F. S. Collins has given 
about five hundred algae, mainly marine, while other members of the 
Club have made contributions in the same group. 
The Herbarium of the New England Botanical Club, thus excel- 
lently begun, must, as it is further developed, eventually become an 
important factor in research work upon New England plants, while the 
