Evergreen tree to 30 m tall with narrowly conical crown when young becoming irregular and untidy with ascending main branches. Leaves reduced to tiny scales arranged in whorls of 7-8 at intervals of c. 1 cm along pendulous flexible green twigs, resembling pine needles. Flowers minute, unisexual with male and females in different clusters. Male flowers in simple spikes, female flowers in dense globular heads. Fruits in cone-like heads, c. 0.5 cm diameter.