Like other basal members of the cypress family (Cupressaceae) once grouped under the informal name “Taxodiaceae,” Athrotaxis appears to be a relict of a group that was far more widespread and ecologically important during the Mesozoic. Today, it includes just two species, the pencil pine and king billy pine, found only in the highland regions of Tasmania. Fossils of related conifers, often assigned to Athrotaxites or even Athrotaxis itself, reveal that this lineage once had a much broader distribution. These fossils are found across Australia, New Zealand, Patagonia, and Antarctica, suggesting a circumpolar range in southern Gondwana. Remarkably, specimens have also been recovered from East Asia and North America, indicating a presence in both hemispheres during the Cretaceous. The depositional settings of Athrotaxites fossils, typically fluvial and lacustrine environments, suggest a preference for moist, cool habitats along lakes and rivers, much like those occupied by Athrotaxis today.