Trees, rarely shrubs, dioecious or monoecious; branchlets densely arranged, straight or curved, terete, rarely slightly 4-angled, thin, ultimate ones usually about 1 mm in diam. Leaves grayish green, both scalelike and needlelike; needlelike leaves present only on young plants, decussate or in whorls of 3, ascending, 3-8 mm, concave adaxially; scalelike leaves decussate, rarely in whorls of 3, closely appressed, 1.5-2 × 0.8-1 mm, abaxial gland near center, convex or concave. Pollen cones 1.5-3 mm; microsporophylls 6-8, each with 2 or 3 pollen sacs. Seed cones terminal on short, curved or erect branchlets, reddish brown to purplish black when ripe, glaucous or not, ovoid, conical-ovoid, or globose, 5-8(-10) × 5-6 mm, 1-seeded. Seeds conical-globose or flattened ovoid, 3-5 mm in diam., with or without resin pits.

* High mountains; 2200-4300 m. S Qinghai, NW Sichuan, E Xizang.