Cephalotaxaceae

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Cephalotaxaceae (cow's tail pines) A family of gymnosperms, close to the Taxaceae, that comprises small trees with narrow, pinnately arranged, yew-like foliage. They are dioecious, like the yews. The male cones are small, and globular to oval. The female flowers usually occur as 2 pairs, or in bunches of 3–5, on curved stalks at the shoot bases, and produce olive-like ‘fruits’ which are erect and which have a fleshy aril enclosing the seed (except at its tip). They are cultivated as ornamental trees. There is 1 genus (Cephalotaxus), with 4 species, which occur in South-east Asia.

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