A slow-growing coniferous tree that grows to 15-25 m tall with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter. The leaves are evergreen, needle-like, 2-3 cm long and 3 mm broad, with a sharply spined tip and two whitish stomatal bands on the underside; they are spirally arranged but twisted at the base to lie horizontally either side of the stem. It is subdioecious, with individual trees producing either mostly male or mostly female cones but usually with at least some cones of the other sex present. The male cones are globular, 5-6 mm diameter, in a double row along the underside of a shoot. The female cones are borne in clusters of 3-8 together, maturing in 18-20 months to a single seed surrounded by a fleshy layer, 2 cm long and 1.5 cm broad.

Anthelmintic (seeds); anodyne, carminative, digestive, laxative and pectoral (plant)

Plants For A Future

The seeds are used in the treatment of several parasitic conditions including hookworm, tapeworms, pinworms and roundworms.