Prickly mingimingi

Leptecophylla juniperina is a compact or tall shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.4–2 m (1 ft 4 in – 6 ft 7 in), rarely a tree to 6 m (20 ft) and has rounded brown branchlets. Its leaves are narrowly egg-shaped, 4.2–18 mm (0.17–0.71 in) long, 1.1–2.5 mm (0.043–0.098 in) wide with a sharply pointed tip 0.4–1.6 mm (0.016–0.063 in) long and a petiole 0.6–1.7 mm (0.024–0.067 in) long. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets, male flowers on a pedicel 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long and female flowers on a pedicel 1.3–3 mm (0.051–0.118 in) long. There are egg-shaped bracts 0.5–0.9 mm (0.020–0.035 in) long and 8 to 24 overlapping, egg-shaped bracteoles 1.2–2.4 mm (0.047–0.094 in) long on the pedicels. The sepals are 1.7–3.1 mm (0.067–0.122 in) long and the petal tube is bell-shaped and longer than the sepals, the male flowers 2.1–4.4 mm (0.083–0.173 in) long and the female flowers 1.6–2.8 mm (0.063–0.110 in) long. Flowering time depends on subspecies, and the fruit is a white or pale to dark pink drupe, 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) high and 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) wide.

Leptecophylla juniperina is native to New Zealand and Victoria and Tasmania. Subspecies Juniperina is widespread in forest and shrubland in New Zealand and in lowland areas of eastern, north-western and western areas of Tasmania. Subspecies oxycedrus is restricted to exposed, rocky coastal regions of southern and western Tasmania, Bass Strait Islands and southern Victoria and subsp. parvifolia is common at altitudes above 600 m (2,000 ft) in central and eastern parts of Tasmania.