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King Alfred's Cakes, Cramp Balls, Coal Fungus
Daldinia concentrica, King Alfred's cakes, is an ascomycete in the family Hypoxylaceae that forms hard, black, hemispherical stromata on dead hardwood, especially ash in Europe. Cut open, the stroma shows concentric internal zones. In North America the name has often been misapplied to the similar Daldinia childiae.
Inedible; hard, brittle and charcoal-like. Historically used as tinder for fire-lighting rather than food.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
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