King Alfred's Cakes

These fungi are wrinkled, and cushion-shaped. They grow out of dead branches and trunks, preferring ash trees. They are brown or black, and look like burnt cakes. There is a story that King Alfred, on the run after a battle, sheltered with an old lady who did not know he was the king. He was given the task of keeping an eye on some cakes in the oven, but he let them burn because he nodded off to sleep. He received a severe scolding for his laziness.