Callitopsis: the name is derived from the Greek words kallos, meaning "beautiful," and tropos (tropsis), meaning "a turn or a way". The name essentially describes the Nootka cypress's elegant and drooping branches, which create the "beautiful turning" appearance. The branches often spread outward, then "turn" downward with pendulous or weeping branchlets.
The genus Callitropsis has a complex and contentious taxonomic history, with the single species, Callitropsis nootkatensis, being moved between several genera over nearly two centuries.
Pronunciation:
cal-i-TROP-sis
Family:
Cupressaceae