King Alfred’s Cakes (Daldinia concentrica)

I love finding these little fungus (also known as Cramp Balls and Coal Fungus) growing on dead wood while on walks in broadleaf forests. They are slow growing and distinctive, often appearing in spectacular clusters on rotten stumps and fallen logs of ash and beech. King Alfred, legendarily, was so consumed in thought on the eve of a battle with the Danes, that he neglected some cakes he was tending for an old woman with whom he was sheltering at the time.

What it looks like

Mature, they are shiny black, just like coal, and do indeed appear to look just like carbonised cookies. Younger specimens are rusty brown, with a matte surface. They can appear singly but often in spectacular clumps. Individual ‘cakes’ can be up to 10cm across. They are hard to mistake for any other fungus. They overwinter and continue to grow year-on year. Their real beauty is seen when you crack them open to reveal the fine, concentric (hence the Latin name) rings of black and silver, indeed making them look like carbonised lumps of wood.

Uses

Legend has it that carrying a ‘cramp ball’ will prevent you getting cramp. Failing that, their only real bushcraft use is as a fire-lighter. Look for black, solid and lightweight (i.e. dry) specimens. They will hold a spark like charcloth and burn slowly, like charcoal. It makes a sensible addition to a tinder bundle or kit.