Battarrea phalloides  

Basidioma: develops underground, 3-4 cm in diameter, ovoid, whitish, enclosed by a two-layered peridium. Receptacle: pendant, convex to hemispherical bearing the gleba (spore mass). Gleba: covered with a whitish to brown membrane (peridial cap) that soon detaches to reveal the reddish-brown spore mass. Stipe: 9-30 (-37) cm high, 6-20 mm in diameter, at first with a gelatinous coat, soon dry, becoming hollow, pale brown to brown or greyish brown, surface fibrous-scaly, often shaggy. Stem base enclosed by a volva but this is often buried. Spores: spherical to ovoid (4.5-) 5-6 (-6.5) µm in diameter excluding ornament. 5-6.5 (-7) µm in diameter including ornament, brown in water, densely ornamented verruculose, verruculae commonly coalescing to form anastomosing ridges. Pseudocapillitium of mostly thin-walled, hyaline hyphae and elaters. Elaters hyaline, cylindric, tapered, sometimes branched, walls with conspicuous, refractive, spiral thickenings. Basidia: not seen.

Map of known distribution in Great Britain and Ireland.

Description adapted from: Pegler, D.N.,  Laessoe, T. & Spooner, B. (1995). British puffballs earthstars and stinkhorns. An account of the British gasteroid fungi.  British Mycological Society.