King Alfred's Cake... by julienne1

King Alfred's Cake...

... so named because it looks like burnt cakes! This is a fungus that grows on dead or decaying wood and is also known as Coal Fungus or Cramp Balls. It's supposed to be very good for lighting fires because it can be lit by a flint and once smouldering it doesn't go out easily.
There's no way I'd want to eat that!!! Very unusual fungus, like the textures.
January 25th, 2015  
Really cool capture! Glad you explained what it is!
January 25th, 2015  
Interesting image - don't think I've seen this around here.
January 25th, 2015  
Wow don't know if I've seen this before but will keep an eye out.
January 25th, 2015  
Never seen this one before. Great shot
January 25th, 2015  
@quietpurplehaze just as well cos I think it's poisonous :)
January 28th, 2015  
January 28th, 2015  
I never would have guessed that they were fungus. I thought they look metallic.
January 31st, 2015  
@skipt07 yes it doesn't look much like fungus at all. It's also very firm but quite light and dry. The inside has rings a bit like a cut tree trunk :)
January 31st, 2015  
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.