Tetraclinis  Tetraclinis (also called arar, araar or Sictus tree) is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Tetraclinis articulata, also known as Thuja articulata, sandarac, sandarac tree or Barbary thuja, endemic to the western Mediterranean region. It is native to northwestern Africa in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, with two small outlying populations on Malta, and near Cartagena in southeast Spain. It grows at relatively low altitudes in a hot, dry subtropical Mediterranean climate. Its closest relatives are "Platycladus, Microbiota", and "Calocedrus", with the closest resemblance to the latter. In older texts, it was sometimes treated in "Thuja" or "Callitris", but it is less closely related to those genera. It is a small, slow-growing tree, to 6–15 m (rarely 20 m) tall and 0.5 m (rarely 1 m) trunk diameter, often with two or more trunks from the base. The foliage forms in open sprays with scale-like leaves 1–8 mm long and 1–1.5 mm broad; the leaves are arranged in opposite decussate pairs, with the successive pairs closely then distantly spaced, so forming apparent whorls of four. The cones are 10–15 mm long, green ripening brown in about 8 months from pollination, and have four thick scales arranged in two opposite pairs. The seeds are 5–7 mm long and 2 mm broad, with a 3–4 mm broad papery wing on each side. It is one of only a small number of conifers able to coppice (regrow by sprouting from stumps), an adaptation to survive wildfire and moderate levels of browsing by animals. Old trees that have sprouted repeatedly over a long period form large burls at the base, known as "lupias". It is the national tree of Malta, where it is known as "għargħar" (derived from the Arabic ). It is now being used locally in afforestation projects. The resin, known as sandarac, is used to make varnish and lacquer; it is particularly valued for preserving paintings. The wood, known as thuya wood, citron wood, and alerce, and historically also known as thyine wood, is used for decorative woodwork, particularly wood from burls at the base of the trunk.