As the nights draw in and the rain becomes ever more prevalent, mushrooms and fungi are beginning to thrive in woodlands and grasslands. There are nearly 2,500 species of fungi inhabiting the Isle of Man, many of them having weird and wonderful colours and names. One such mushroom is King Alfred’s cakes, a unique mushroom that grows as black orbs on rotting wood. Despite their uniqueness, they can be hard to spot as they blend in well with their surroundings. 

King Alfred’s cakes, Daldinia concentrica, also known as Cramp ball’s, has an almost alien appearance, growing into palm sized black orbs, about 2-10cm across. They tend to grow as a cluster, some being perfect round balls, others being clumped together in a shapeless mass. King Alfred’s cakes start out as small pale spheres before turning pure black with a slight iridescent purple shine. As they age, they begin to crack, allowing for their spores to be released into the air. Once they are cracked, they reveal intricate rings, or stroma, inside them. Much like the rings of a tree, they represent the growth patterns of the mushroom, indicating their nature for long lives, very different from most common mushrooms, which only live for a few days. 

The name of this fungus comes directly from the tale of King Alfred the Great burning cakes. There are many similar renditions of the tale, however, in the late 800’s during the Angelo-Saxon era, King Alfred and his kingdom of Wessex resided in the south-east of England. During King Alfred’s rein his kingdom was invaded by the Danes. After fighting a fierce battle, him and his men were forced to flee to the countryside to regather their strength. It is said King Alfred took shelter in a herdsman’s cottage, the herdsman’s wife was baking cakes at the time and asked him to keep an eye on them, undenounced to being in the presence of a king, so she could gather firewood. Weighing his laurels on the battle, King Alfred was too caught up to notice the cakes slowly turning charcoal black. Embarrassed by his foolery, King Alfred threw out the cakes before the woman returned, leaving them to become a perpetual reminder of his mistake in the form of burnt looking mushrooms. 

King Alfred’s cakes are saprotrophic, meaning they only grow on fallen or rotting trees, more often on fallen Ash or Beech branches due to their specific lignin and cellulose contents they need to feed on.  

This past year we have seen a lot of draught which has a huge effect on local fungi, especially King Alfred’s cakes which grow all year round. Drought can cause mushrooms to dry up and go dormant due to being unable to draw nutrients from rotting wood, prohibiting them from growing and reproducing. Mushrooms and fungi play a vital role in the ecosystem; they help break down rotting wood, releasing nutrients into the soil. King Alfred’s cakes are a valuable source of food and shelter for invertebrates. 

King Alfred’s cakes can sometimes be mistaken for Brittle cinder, like King Alfred’s cakes, Brittle cinder starts out as pale or grey then grows charcoal black with age. However, Brittle cinder grows on living trees, rotting them out from the base, causing them to break and fall.