A large puffball with a long thick stalk.  Young specimens are covered in short spines and are creamy white; the spines rub off and the puffball darkens as it matures.  The head disintegrates when the spores are ready for dispersal; unlike other puffballs, an apical pore is not formed.  The stalk and remains of the head and spore mass can persist for a long time.

other Lycoperdon.   

Woodland, hedgerows, occasionally grassland and more open habitats

Late summer and autumn.

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland.