Exocarpos cupressiformis Labill.

A small pine-like tree or shrub. It grows up to 4-8 m high. The branches are fine and yellow-green. They are dense and droop at the end. The branches are leafless. The leaves are reduced to very small scales. The flowers are green and clustered on short stems near the ends of branches. They are very small. The fruit start out hard and green but then swell and become yellow then red as they ripen. The fruit has a red base with a green nut sitting on top. The base is about 4-6 mm long. The plant grows as a parasite attached to the roots of other plants. Only a few flowers mature into fruit.

It is a warm temperate to subtropical plant. It grows naturally in dry rocky sites near the coast. It is a root parasite and grows as a small understorey tree in dry sclerophyll forests in the drier parts of Tasmania. It can grow in infertile sandy soils. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. Tasmania Herbarium.

The fleshy fruit stalk is edible. It is eaten raw when ripe. They can also be used to make jam.

It is difficult to propagate because of its parasitic nature. Plants can be cut back and allowed to regrow. The seed need to be sown fresh and possibly with a grass host plant. Plants can also be grown from cuttings. At present such plants tend to be short lived.