Shrubs erect, 0.5--1 m. Bark gray, cracked and irregularly fissured. Branches alternate or whorled, rigid, angle of divergence about 30°. Twigs bright green to yellow-green, becoming yellow with age, not viscid, ridges between longitudinal grooves barely papillate, smooth; internodes 1--5 cm. Terminal buds conic, 1--2 mm, apex obtuse. Leaves opposite, 2--5 mm, connate to 1/2--3/4 their length, not photosynthetic; bases thickened, brown, persistent, becoming hard, enlarged, and black; apex setaceous. Pollen cones 2--several at node, obovoid, 5--7 mm, sessile; bracts opposite, 6--10 pairs, light yellow and slightly reddened, ovate, 2--4 × 2--3 mm, membranous, slightly connate at base; bracteoles slightly exceeding bracts; sporangiophores 2--4 mm, 1/4--1/2 exserted, with 5--8 sessile to nearly sessile microsporangia. Seed cones 2--several at node, obovoid, 6--10 mm, sessile or on short, scaly peduncles; bracts opposite, 4--8 pairs, ovate, 4--7 × 2--4 mm, membranous or papery, with yellow center and base, margins entire. Seeds 2, ellipsoid, 5--8 × 2--4 mm, light brown to brown, smooth. 2 n = 28.
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An erect evergreen shrub. It grows 1.2 m high and spreads 90 cm wide. The branches are thin and green. The leaves are long and narrow. The plants have separate male and female flower-like cones.
Dry rocky slopes, gravel terraces and canyon walls, often on limestone, at elevations of 800-2500 metres.
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It is a temperate plant. It does well in sandy soil and a sunny position. It suits hardiness zones 6-10.
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