Evergreen shrub, dioecious, highly branched, up to 4 m in height when climbing between trees or rocks, but generally an upright plant of not more than 2 m in height. Branches and branchlets very fragile, which easily break by the nodes when dry, this being the main characteristic when identifying the type subspecies, and to which it owes its name. Bark of main branches grey or greyish-brown. Branchlets cylindrical, striated, green, relatively thick for the genus (1.5-4 mm diameter). Leaves so small (0.5-2 mm) that some authors have defined the species as aphyllous (leafless); these, as in other species of the genus, appear welded together to form a tiny sheath surrounding the start of the internodes. Male cones sessile, yellowish, ovoid (8-9 mm), born grouped (4-10) at the joints. Female cones or galbuli ovoid-elongated, born in the leaves axils, pedunculate, solitary, opposite, greenish and, when mature, they are wrapped by \u00b1 fleshy, red bracts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-12810","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n