Flora of New Zealand Series

Evergreen, conic or pyramidal, resinous trees with thin scaly bark and whorled branches. Short shoots 0. Winter buds generally not resinous, ovoid or conic, rounded to subacute. Lvs solitary, spirally arranged, ± 2-ranked (except on young erect shoots), inserted on a persistent peg-like projection of the shoot (thus older leafless part of shoots rough), linear and flat to quadrangular, green above and with 2 greyish stomatal bands on lower (inverted adaxial) surface, or stomatiferous on all 4 sides, usually with 2 marginal resin ducts. ♂ strobili (cones) axillary, cylindric or catkin-like, yellow to red, erect or pendent. ♀ cones terminal, ripening in first year, generally purplish before maturity, pendent; ovuliferous scales always much > bract scales, rather thin; ovules 2 to each scale. Mature cones not disintegrating, pendulous, generally cylindric. Seed winged.

c. 40 spp., N. temperate zone. Naturalised spp. 2.