Trees evergreen, monoecious; branchlets arranged in a plane, flattened. Leaves decussate, scalelike, usually dimorphic along branchlets: facial pairs closely appressed, ovate or rhombic-ovate; lateral pairs boat-shaped, overlapping margins of facial pairs. Pollen cones ovoid or oblong; microsporophylls 6-8, each with 2-4 pollen sacs. Seed cones terminal on branchlets, solitary, globose or oblong, dehiscent when mature in 1st year; cone scales 8-12, peltate, woody, each fertile scale bearing (1 or)2(-5) seeds; free bract apex a small mucro. Seeds with lateral, narrow wings. Cotyledons 2.

Six species: E Asia, North America; five species (one endemic, three introduced) in China.