Daldinia grandis
Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 19: 456. 1932.
Photo: Growing on a moss covered log.
Common Name: Cramp balls
Fruit body 1-6 cm broad, subglobose to irregular, brown at first, then black; surface covered with tiny pores (perithecial openings); flesh hard, charcoal-like with faint concentric zones when sectioned; stipe lacking.
Spores 12-17 X 6-11 µm, elongate to elliptical, smooth. Spore print dark brown to black.
Scattered to gregarious to clustered on hardwoods, especially Quercus agrifolia (Coast Liveoak).
Too tough to be eaten.
Daldinia grandis is easily recognized by the round charcoal-like growths it forms on fallen hardwood logs. The hard fruiting bodies are perennial and can be found even during periods of dry weather.
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