Trees evergreen, monoecious; branchlets arranged in a plane, flattened, prominently jointed. Leaves decussate, almost in whorls of 4, scalelike, dimorphic along branchlets: facial pairs closely appressed; lateral pairs boat-shaped, overlapping margins of facial pairs, with 2 white, depressed stomatal bands abaxially. Pollen cones with (6-)10-12 microsporophylls each with 3 pollen sacs. Seed cones terminal on branchlets, solitary, subglobose, dehiscent when mature in 2nd year; cone scales 12-16, decussate, peltate, woody, fertile scales 2-ovulate; free bract apex a mucro. Seeds ovoid, with a prominent umbilicus and 2 apical, unequal wings. Cotyledons 2.
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