Athrotaxis x laxifolia is an evergreen coniferous tree growing to 12–21 m tall with a sparsely branched crown,[2] an irregular growth habit and a trunk up to 1m diameter.

[2] Athrotaxis x laxifolia is endemic to Tasmania, Australia, where it grows between 1,000–1,200 m altitude, in sub-alpine and alpine woodland.

Despite being the rarest of the three in the wild, it is the most frequently planted Athrotaxis in cultivation, though still only seen in major collections; trees in Ireland have reached 20 m tall.

[4] This genetic evidence indicates that these latter two populations are slowly disappearing through the process of repeated hybridisation with Athrotaxis selaginoides.

[4] Even though A. laxifolia is rare in itself, given the multiple spontaneous hybridization events, it should be afforded the same status as its parent species (A. cuppresoides and A. selaginoides) which is Vulnerable.