Buddha Belly Bamboo - Bambusa ventricosa

Buddha's belly bamboo is a clump-forming bamboo from southern China whose culms, when the plant is dwarfed by restricted roots or drought, develop short, swollen internodes said to resemble the Buddha's prominent paunch. Grown with ample room and water it makes a tall, ordinary-looking green clump; the bulging stems appear mainly under constrained conditions, which is why it is often kept in pots. It is one of the ornamental bamboos rather than a timber species.