For those living at the southern tip of Africa, Christmas can be a bit of an anticlimax! First and foremost, the sunny weather wreaks havoc with the romantic notion of a white Christmas, and the days of that other Christmas institution, the pine tree, are almost numbered! So what are the alternatives, if any?

Well, one can start by purchasing a mountain cypress and growing it in a pot. In no time this potplant will provide you with a superb Christmas tree. When it becomes too big for the pot, plant it in your garden. As it eventually matures, you can actually prune some of the lower branches during the festive period to be used as a tree.

As for snow, one probably has to go the fictional route by dreaming of it. However, one thing is clear; this indigenous tree will make an exceptional substitute for the pine tree. It is also water-wise, is not a fierce competitor with other plants, and has a pine-like shape. By introducing this gem to your garden you will undoubtedly be proudly South African and possibly herald an era where we truly have a Christmas the African way!

During the juvenile phase, the needle-like leaves are a fresh green and spirally arranged up to 20 mm long. The dark green, scale-like leaves are about 2 mm long and normally appear after 7-8 years.

Both the sexes appear on the same plant with cones produced en masse all along the smaller branches. The 4 mm long, yellow-brown male cones are found at the tips of the branchlets. 

The dark brown, globose female cones are about 15-20 mm in diameter. They mature to reveal flat, black seeds with a conspicuous reddish wing.

The thin and fibrous bark is brownish grey and flakes in fine strips to reveal a reddish underbark.