The Gout or Buddha-belly plant is in Family Euphorbiaceae.
From southern Mexico and Central America it is cultivated as a garden plant.
The upright shrubs can eventually be up to around 2.5 m high.
On older plants the area at or near base of the woody stem is swollen.
From this caudex are a few sparsely branched fleshy stems.
The grey stems have leaf scars, a few lenticels and peeling bark.
Damaged stems exude a clear or reddish latex.
The spirally arranged leaves are on a smooth petiole 10 to 20 cm long.
Petioles, crowded at the branch ends have a pair of stipules at the base.
The thread-like branched stipules, around 4 mm long have glands on them.
The roundish leaf blades have the petiole attached away from the edge (peltate.)
Blades are divided into 3 or 5 wide lobes with a blunt tip and wavy edge.
Terminal inflorescences are on a smooth peduncle up to 25 or 30 cm long.
They are held well above the leaves.
There are triangular bracts 2 mm long.
The densely branched clusters of flowers, up to around 15 cm long have a flat or round top.
There are male and female flowers in each cluster.
Male flowers are on a red pedicel around 2 mm long.
The very deep red calyx tube is around 1 mm long.
The 5 ovate sepal lobes on the rim are around the same length.
The 5 free red or orange-red petals, around 6 mm long have a rounded tip.
There is ring of yellow nectiferous glands – the disc.
The 6 to 8 stamens, around 4 mm long are in 1 whorl.
The lower 2 mm of the filaments are fused into a stamen tube.
The free filament sections hold the around 2 mm long orange-yellow anthers.
There is no ovary.
Female flowers are on a thick pedicel 1 to 2 mm long.
The sepals and petals are like the male flowers but slightly larger.
The disc glands are free.
The ovary, of 3 carpels has (1) 2 or 3 locules each with 1 ovule.
The smooth ellipsoidal ovary is around 3.5 mm high.
The 3 styles, up to 2 mm long have their bases fused.
The stigmas have 2 lobes.
The ellipsoidal capsules have a slightly flattened top and 3 vertical grooves.
The shiny green capsules, 2 to 3 cm high mature to a dark brown.
They open explosively through the septa and into the locules (septicidal and loculicidal).
The widely scattered smooth oval seeds are around 1 cm long.
Their shape depends on the number developing in each capsule.
J.F.
