Daldinia grandis Child
Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 19: 456. 1932.

Photo: Growing on a moss covered log.

Common Name: Cramp balls

• Sporocarp

  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

  Spores 12-17 X 6-11 µm, elongate to elliptical, smooth. Spore print dark brown to black.

• Habitat

  Scattered to gregarious to clustered on hardwoods, especially Quercus agrifolia (Coast Liveoak).

• Edibility

  Too tough to be eaten.

• Comments

  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.

• Other Descriptions and Photos
  • Taylor F. Lockwood: Daldinia grandis (CP)
  • Robert Mackler: Daldinia grandis (CP)
  • Michael Wood: Daldinia grandis (CP)
  • Arora (1986): p. 887 (D & P)
  
  

  (D=Description; I=Illustration; P=Photo; CP=Color Photo)