Description:

• Medium-sized or large, monoecious, evergreen or deciduous trees, usually with shredding bark
• Leaves usually linear or broadly awl-shaped, spirally arranged but sometimes appearing 2-ranked, or, more rarely, needle-like and in clusters
• Male cones small, solitary or in clusters; pollen sacs 2-9 per scale, pollen without air-bladders
• Female cones with bracts and cone scales free when young, but closely fused later; ovules 2-9 per scale; mature cones broadly ellipsoid, ovoid or almost spherical, scales persistent, spirally arranged, leathery or woody
• Seeds 2-9 on each scale, usually winged

Nomenclature:

• *Taxodiaceae
  • Dallimore & Jackson: 20 (1966)
  • Lewis: 77 (1986)
  • Page: 353 (1990)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera 10, species ± 14, mostly from E Asia but extending to Tasmania, and with 3 genera in North America
• Southern Africa: Genera 2, exotic, each with 1 naturalised species

References:

• DALLIMORE, W. & JACKSON, A.B. 1966. A handbook of the Coniferae and Ginkgoaceae, edn 4, revised by S.G. Harrison. Arnold, London
• LEWIS, J. 1986. Taxodiaceae. European Garden Flora 1
• PAGE, C.N. 1990. Taxodiaceae. In K. Kubitzki, The families and genera of vascular plants 1. Springer-Verlag, Berlin

Resources:

• Key to Taxodiaceae genera.

• Taxodiaceae genera: