Trees or shrubs evergreen, dioecious or rarely monoecious. Leaves spirally arranged or decussate, linear or lanceolate, abaxial surface with 1 stomatal band on each side of prominent or inconspicuous midvein, resin canal present or absent. Pollen cones solitary in leaf or bract axils, or aggregated into spikelike complexes apically on branches; microsporophylls numerous; pollen sacs 3-9, radially arranged or on outer side of microsporophyll and then with distinct adaxial and abaxial surfaces; pollen nonsaccate. Seed-bearing structures solitary or paired in axils of leaves or bracts, pedunculate or sessile, with several overlapping or decussate bracts at base; ovule solitary, borne at apex of floral axis, erect. Seed sessile or pedunculate, drupelike or nutlike, partially enclosed in a succulent, saccate or cupular aril, or completely enclosed within aril; female gametophyte tissue abundant. Cotyledons 2. Germination epigeal, hypogeal in Torreya.

Five genera and 21 species; mainly N hemisphere (except Austrotaxus R. H. Compton: New Caledonia); four genera (one endemic) and 11 species (five endemic, one introduced) in China.

Cheng Wan-chün, Fu Li-kuo & Chu Cheng-de. 1978. Taxaceae. In: Cheng Wan-chün & Fu Li-kuo, eds., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 7: 437-467.

(Authors: Fu Liguo (傅立国 Fu Li-kuo) , Li Nan (李楠) ; Robert R. Mill)