Daldrinia concentrica

[bingobadgo]

I cant find any of this growing anywhere near me despite searching every ash tree for miles. Am i missing something? All i know about it is that it grows on ash, are there any other pointers to finding it?

 

[Toadflax]

Don't just look on ash. Most of my finds are on fallen birch, but I've got it from elder as well. I check over any horizontal timber when I'm looking.


Geoff

 

[rich59]

It should, I understand, only grow on dead wood and mostly ash. I do know a live tree with it on but I think that part of the trunk is dead.

 

[spamel]

It's the same as most things, you'll lok and look and find nothing, then one day you'll find some. Then, everywhere you look it'll be staring you in the face!

 

[Toadflax]

Having said that I mainly find them on birch, here's a picture of a typical collection in my local woods. And I'd have to confess that this looks like ash to me! It's certainly not silver birch. So maybe I haven't found them on birch! But I still tend to check all types of fallen wood when I'm searching for cramp balls.

However, the location of these towards the lower part of the fallen timber is very typical.


Geoff

 

[Nightwalker]

Impressed myself by recognising the latin name of this fungi when I saw the title! I can never remember many Latin names

 

[Pablo]

Impressed myself by recognising the latin name of this fungi when I saw the title!

I hope no one minds me correcting the latin...it's Daldinia concentrica (no "R" in it).

I've found a lot of mine underneath fallen trunks that are not resting on the ground. Might be worth having a look there.

Pablo.

 

[bingobadgo]

Thanks for all the help, I am sure it will help on my next bimble in the woods.

 

[mr dazzler]

I recognise that stuff, It was growing in huge quantities (probably enough to fill a wheelbarrow) on an ash stump in my front garden, I thought of it as horse turd fungus. Can u use it as tinder?

 

[Toadflax]

Can u use it as tinder?

You most certainly can. It will take a spark from a modern (Swedish) firesteel. I have also managed to get one lit from a traditional flint /steel and it can also be used as a tinder extender - e.g. put the coal from a bow-drill onto it and blow.

It glows like charcoal (it doesn't flame) - so you need something that will go into flame (e.g. dry grass), but it will keep glowing very hot for a long time. I have read that you can even cook using lots of them like charcoal.

If you have a barrowfull in your garden, you are very lucky. Sounds like an endless supply of tinder. Daldinia concentrica aka cramp ball aka king alfred's cakes.


Geoff

 

[Dano]

can they be used for anything else?

 

[bingobadgo]

I lit my very first primitive fire using flint and steel, some cramp ball and dry grass. Lovely!

 

[mr dazzler]

If you have a barrowfull in your garden, you are very lucky. Sounds like an endless supply of tinder. Daldinia concentrica aka cramp ball aka king alfred's cakes.

But theres the rub geoff, one mans meat is another mans poison etc. If only I'd known at the time it was of any use I would of stored it instead of hoying it out with all the rest of the stump rubbish I would of gladly let people have it. I take it you only need a little piece to get your glowing coal? I still have heaps of ash root that has gone all flaky and soft after being in the ground after the tree was felled, its drying away in my shed. Funnily even though it was done about 5 or 6 years ago, there were no new pole shoot's coming up off the cut stool (stump) so it must of been pretty badly diseaesd with something. Ash doesnt need much encouragement to throw up new growth. It rather looked as if a horse had shat all over it instead

 

[Pignut]

can they be used for anything else?

Yep! check this out