They are small to medium-sized
trees, reaching 10–30 m tall, or sometimes small
shrubs. The main structural shoots are green for 2–3 years, then turn brown as the bark thickens. The
leaves are sparse, tiny, scale-like, 2–3 mm long, and only green (
photosynthetic) for a short time, soon turning brown. Most photosynthesis is performed by highly modified, leaf-like short shoots called
phylloclades; these develop in the axils of the scale leaves, and are simple or compound (depending on species). Simple phylloclades are rhombic, 2–5 cm long, and compound phylloclades are up to 20 cm long and subdivided into five to 15 leaflet-like phylloclades 1–3 cm long. The seed
cones are
berry-like, similar to those of several other Podocarpaceae genera, notably
Halocarpus and
Prumnopitys, with a fleshy white
aril; the seeds are dispersed by
birds, which digest the soft, fleshy aril as they pass the hard seeds in their droppings. Tanekaha Kahuroa.jpg|Phylloclades of
P. trichomanoides Celery Top Pine.jpg|A seedling of
P. aspleniifolius with needle-like juvenile leaves Phyllocladus alpinus Governors Bush Walk Mount Cook 1.JPG|Pollen cones of
P. alpinus Phyllocladus aspleniifolius (Celery-top pine) cones (8711563882).jpg|Seed cones of
P. aspleniifolius == Taxonomy ==