Cramp Balls - Daldinia concentrica
Irregularly shaped fungus. Its surface was brown and powdery. When I pulled it off the wood, black liquid oozed out. The inside was wet and black with concentric, solid zones and felt similar to charcoal.
Habitat: Spotted on birch in a deciduous forest.
Fun facts:
#1 - The common name "cramp ball" refers to the old folk belief that carrying one around in your armpit would cure cramps!
#2 - It is also known in Britain as "King Alfred's cakes". King Alfred was fleeing a battle 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. He didn't know how to cook, fell asleep, and the cakes burned. So, this fungus gained this common name since it resembles burnt cakes.
The inedible fungus ''Daldinia concentrica'' is known by several common names, including King Alfred's Cake, cramp balls, and coal fungus. It can be found in North America, South America and Europe, where it lives on dead and decaying wood, especially on felled ash trees. It is a common, widespread saprotroph.
The fungus is ball-shaped, with a hard, friable, shiny black fruiting body 2 to 7 centimeters wide. It resembles a chunk of coal, which gives it several of its common names, including.. more
