Emil Rostrup was born in Denmark in 1831. Between 1866 and 1907 he published more than 400 papers on fungi. His focus was on the less conspicuous species (viz. pyrenomycetes, rusts, smooths etc.) rather than on the agarics. In 1969 he made the first popular danish funga : "Blomsterløse Planter". Later, in 1904, he published "Vejledning i den danske Flora, bind 2" - the first comprehensive danish funga.

E. Rostrup is biographed by J. Lind (1915) : Danish Fungi as represented in the Herbarium of E. Rostrup.

His herbarium is situated at Botanical Museum, University of Copenhagen (C).