Shrubs or small trees dioecious; branchlets opposite, base with bud scales not persistent; winter buds tetragonal-ovate, acute, glossy, scales, decussate, in 3-5 whorles of 4, ridged adaxially. Leaves decussate, but brought into a single plane by twisting of petioles; blade straight or slightly falcate, usually more than 5 mm wide, adaxial surface mottled when fresh, rarely smooth, rugose or ± so when dry, resin canal present below sheath of vascular bundle, sclereids present, rarely absent, base decurrent, margin slightly downcurved. Pollen cones aggregated into (1 or)2-6(-10) long, slender, compound racemes or spikes arising from bract axil near apex of branches; individual cones opposite, sessile or subsessile, ellipsoid or subglobose; microsporophylls numerous, ± shield-shaped; pollen sacs 3-8, arranged radially, or adaxially and abaxially. Seed-bearing structures compressed-tetragonal or flattened abaxially, basal part with 6-10 pairs of decussate bracts arranged in 4 rows each of 3-5 bracts; ovule 1, sessile, erect. Seed ripening in 1st year, long pedunculate, ellipsoid or obovoid-ellipsoid, enclosed except for apex in a saclike aril which is bright red or reddish yellow when ripe; bracts persistent at base.
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