FRUIT BODY: Up to 6cm across.  Each fruitbody starts reddish-brown but soon becomes black and is sub-spherical in shape with an inward curve towards the base. The surface is smooth and shiny and covered in numerous ostiolar pores. This species is always found in close growing groups and is better known as 'Crampballs' or 'King Alfred's Cakes'. GILLS/PORES: N/A. FLESH:Tough, black, concentrically zoned and fibrous to brittle. SPORES: Spores elliptical to spindle shaped, non-septate and with a distinct furrow down one side, black. HABITAT: Fruits on decaying wood from a variety of deciduous trees but has a preference for Ash. SEASON: Common.  Throughout the year. EDIBILITY: Inedible.