The inedible fungus Daldinia concentrica is known by several common names, including King Alfred's cake, cramp balls, and coal fungus. I have never seen this fungi before. King Alfred’s cakes are named after the king’s poor baking skills. I remembered this story from my Junior days but never imagine I would see King Alfred's cakes!
This fungi does rot away quickly but can remain on deadwood for years and is probably why I found it in this ancient wood.
Gills/spores: inside, the flesh is hard and a cross-section shows concentric zones of grey and black. Spores are released from the outer surface of the fungus through perithecia (small beak-like holes), leaving a darker area on the surrounding wood. Cells inside the fruit body eject the spores beyond the edge of the stroma, leaving a black spore print up to 3cm wide around the fungus.
Cap: round or cushion-shaped, 2–10 cm across and formally referred to as stroma. Matt, pinkish-brown when young, becoming black and shiny with a ‘burnt’ appearance as they age. The outer shell cracks easily.
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