King Alfred's Cakes

[village wench]

Look what I found all over a dying fraxinus.........
Daldinia concentrica

Please tell me even I can't get this one wrong

[NickCantle]

You've not got it wrong

It seems to prefer Fraxinus to anything else.

[Hedge Witch]

Interesting fact:

The fungus is a useful form of tinder for fire-lighting. It does need to be completely dry, whereupon it will easily take a spark from a firesteel. It burns slowly, much like a charcoal briquette, with a particularly pungent smoke. Once lit it is quite difficult to extinguish, but fragments can be broken off and transferred to a tinder ball to create an open flame.

The black variety is lighter, and better for fire-lighting apparently.

[village wench]

Being serious for a moment,a couple of questions about this,first just how big does it grow ?,I read somewhere 5cm but there were much much bigger ones than that on the tree,and second,aren't the dark ones just a later stage? I ask as there were black ones higher up in the tree,sadly crappy camera meant I couldn't get a good shot.

[Hedge Witch]

Rogers Mushrooms - Daldinia concentrica Mushroom

They typically grow to 10 cm, and the colour is brown to black and shiny as they grow.

[village wench]

Thanks for that hedgewitch.
Karen

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by village wench

Being serious for a moment,a couple of questions about this,first just how big does it grow ?,.

Although this is not actually "one" it was about a foot across.

Mal