Daldinia childiae

Scientific name: Daldinia childiae J. D. Rogers & Y. M. Ju
Derivation of name: Daldinia is named after the Capuchin
monk, Agostino Daldini and childiae honors Marion Child
whose doctoral dissertation at the Missouri Botanical Garden
was the first monograph on the genus Daldinia.   
Synonyms: Commonly listed as  Daldinia concentrica
(Bolton) Cesati & de Notaris in North American field gudes. 
Common name(s):  Carbon balls; Crampballs; King Alfred's
cakes.
Phylum:   Ascomycota
Order:   Xylariales
Family:   Xylariaceae
Occurrence on wood substrate:  Saprobic; solitary to
clustered on dead deciduous wood; year-round.  
Dimensions: Fruit bodies 2-5 cm wide.
Description: The nearly globose to hemispherical (but often
irregularly shaped) fruit bodies are grayish-white to pinkish-
brown at first. During these asexual stages the fungus releases
colorless spores called conidia which may appear whitish en
masse. With maturity, the fruit body becomes grayish-brown to
blackish. The surface of mature carbon balls may appear finely
dotted (pimple-dotted) with minute bumps. These are the
openings of ascospore-forming structures called perithecia
located just below the surface. Black ascospores are
ejected from these openings in great numbers, covering the
surface of the fruit body and nearby surfaces. Alternating
light and darker-colored concentric zones of fungus tissue
are revealed when carbon balls are cut vertically.
Comments: Most field guides call this species Daldinia
concentrica. Daldinia concentrica, however, appears to
be almost exclusively a European species. The common
name "crampball" refers to the folk belief that carrying
one around under your armpits would prevent or cure
cramps. Note the look-alike species in Figure 8.

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Figure 1. Mature specimens of Daldinia childiae on
wood. Photo © Dianna Smith.


Figure 2. These pinkish specimens are in the asexual phase.
Note the concentric zonation of the cut open specimens in
the foreground. Photo © William Roody.


Figure 3. Another specimen of Daldinia childiae. Any
doubt as to the identity of the specimen is removed
upon slicing the fruit body open, revealing the concentric
zonation of the flesh. Active perithecia occur only in the
outermost layer of tissue.
Photo © Gary Emberger.

Figure 4. The pimple-dotted surface of a mature Daldinia
childiae. Each dot is the opening of an ascospore-
producing perithecium located just below the surface.
Photo © Gary Emberger.


Figure 5. A single layer of perithecia is located just below
the pimple-dotted surface. Photo © Gary Emberger.


Figure 6. Several carbon balls lay undisturbed for a
period of time on the paper plate and identification slip
at the 2012 NEMF foray. A zone of black spores formed
around the central specimen. See Figure 7.
Photo © Gary Emberger.

Figure 7. Removal of the specimens in Figure 6 shows
where the black spore deposits formed. The spore
deposits occur very close to the perithecial openings.
Photo © Gary Emberger.

Figure 8. A related species, Daldinia vernicosa, has a
narrowed, stemlike sterile base beneath the fertile portion.
The sectioned specimens at the right show the distinct
banding pattern of the sterile base. Photo © Steve Nelsen.