King Alfred's Cake

Description:

Scientific name: Daldinia concentrica (Bolton:Fries) Cesati & de Notaris Derivation of name: Concentrica refers to the concentrically zoned interior. Synonyms: Common name(s): Carbon balls; Crampballs; King Alfred's cakes. Phylum: Ascomycota Order: Xylariales Family: Xylariaceae Occurrence on wood substrate: Saprobic; clustered on dead deciduous wood; year-round. Dimensions: Fruit bodies 2-5 cm wide. Description: The nearly globose to hemispherical (but often irregularly shaped) fruit bodies are grayish-white to pinkish- brown at first. During these asexual stages the fungus releases colorless spores called conidia which may appear whitish en masse. With maturity, the fruit body becomes grayish-brown to blackish. The surface of mature Carbon balls may appear finely dotted (pimple-dotted) with minute bumps. These are the openings of ascospore-forming structures called perithecia located just below the surface. Black ascospores are ejected from these openings in great numbers, covering the surface of the fruit body and nearby surfaces. Numerous concentric layers are revealed when Carbon balls are sliced open. Comments: Arora states that the common name "crampball" refers to the "old folk belief that carrying one around under your armpits would cure cramps!" ( http://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wo... )

Habitat:

location: North America, Europe edibility: Inedible fungus colour: Black or blackish normal size: Less than 5cm cap type: Other stem type: Lateral, rudimentary or absent flesh: Flesh granular or brittle spore colour: White, cream or yellowish habitat: Grows in woods, Grows on wood Daldinia concentrica (Bolt. ex Fr.) Cesati & de Notaris Cramp Balls or King Alfred’s Cakes Fruit body 2–10cm across, hemispherical to subglobose, brown at first soon black and shiny. Flesh concentrically zoned silver-grey and blackish. Asci 200×12µ. Spores black elliptical to fusiform, 12–17×6–9µ. Habitat gregarious on dead wood, especially beech and ash. Season all year. Common. Not edible. Distribution, America and Europe ( http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/D... )

Notes:

D. concentrica is also known in Britain as "King Alfred's cakes," which is perhaps the most storied name for this fungus. As the legend goes, King Alfred was fleeing a battle with the Danes in Somerset when he took refuge in an old woman's house. The old woman, not knowing he was the king, left Alfred in charge of watching some cakes in the oven. Of course, he knew nothing about ovens and didn't really know what he was supposed to do. He fell asleep, and the cakes burned. The old woman scolded him soundly for being lazy, but later she was probably sorry about "raking him over the coals" when she found out he was the king! ( http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/... ) ( http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Li... )