Widdringtonia occurs as genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are iv metal money, wholly native to southern Africa, where it is known it used to be that when "cedars" (to which it is non related) however come nowadays called African cypresses.

It is big shrubs or trees, reaching 5-20 m tall (to Xl m inside W. whytei). A leaves are evergreen and scale-such as, except in seedlings, which own needle-rather leaves One-One.Pentad cm hanker. A grownup scale come intended withinside intersectant paired pairs in quatern rows along a branchlet, when a jejune needle leaves come intended spirally.

A male cones come small, Three-6 millimetre hanker, & are placed at a tips of the branchlet. A female cones begwitharound likewise invisible, maturing in 18-20 months to 2-Three cm hanker & wide, spherical to elliptical, using quadruplet, heavy, woody scales, intended in two paired pairs. the cones mostly remain closed on the trees for numerous years, opening exclusively fallowing existence scorched by a wildfire; this then releases a seeds to grow on the new exculpated burnt ground. Around W. whytei a cones open shortly fallowing maturity to shed a seed forswearing fire; this mintage is further sensitive to fire & lone grows around damp situations in which these are protected from either fire. A better altered to fire is W. nodiflora, which hwhen a ability to re-develop from either a roots, too as by seed.

;Species Of these coinage wrecks havoc inside southern Africa, when a more ternion stand restricted ranges, typically occurring by having or even touching to the far flung metal money. Widdringtonia cedarbergensis - Clanwilliam Cypress. Endemic, Cedarberg Mountains (northeast of Cape Town), Western Cape Province, South Africa. Widdringtonia nodiflora - Mountain Cypress. Far flung, southern Malawi south to Western Cape Province, South Africa. Widdringtonia schwarzii - Willowmore Cypress. Endemic, Baviaanskloof & Kouga Mountains (west of Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Widdringtonia whytei - Mulanje Cypress. Endemic, Mulanje Massif, Malawi.

A nearest relatives of Widdringtonia come Callitris and Actinostrobus from Australia, which differ inside their cones and leaves existence in whorls of iii, non paired pairs.

Uses
A wood is lightly, easy & redolent. It may be well split & resists decompose. These are utilized to produce piece of furniture, indoor & outdoor paneling, & fence posts. That of W. whytei wwhen particularly worthful as it was available within prominent sizes, however this mintage is currently endangered & there is no hanker cut to any extent.