It grows as a small, rhizomatous perennial geophyte. Rather than building a massive succulent woody trunk, it anchors itself via an underground or partially exposed fleshy rootstock.
Features highly variable, vibrant green leaves that lack succulent properties and grow tightly clustered around the stems.
It propagates through a unique mechanism. Its disc-shaped flower head (a hypanthodium) builds up high internal hydraulic pressure as the fruit ripens, eventually ejecting its small seeds like tiny projectiles up to 3 feet (1 meter) away.
