·        Fruitbodies typically cushioned-shaped to round, may be crust-like, erect, or cylindric to club-shaped or antler-like

·        Fertile surface finely roughened like sandpaper as a result of numerous flask-shaped reproductive structures called perithecia

·        Found often on decaying hardwoods and at times on the ground

·        Typically fibrous-tough to woody

·        Many are hard, black, and carbonaceous

·        Most are inedible