Growth form: shrub
Height: 1–8 m
Bark: reddish-brown
Twigs: cylindrical
Leaves: reduced to small overlapping scales in 4–6 rows, oval-rhomboid, decurrent
Flowers: generally monoecious
Blooming period: February–March
Fruits: red, globose, glossy cones, 6–10 mm, with fibrous flesh