Common name: American arborvitae The popular evergreen cemetery plant is considered a symbol of eternity. The name Thuja comes from the Latinized form of the Greek thyein, meaning to burn incense, as its cedar-like wood was burned during sacrifices. The name occidentalis means Western and refers to the plants origin in the Great Lakes region of North America. This 6 to 20 meter tall, conical conifer has reddish-brown, fissured bark. Its scale-like leaves are arranged like roof tiles. Their undersides are light, while the upper surfaces are dark and covered in resin glands. The yellowish-green, star-shaped cones bloom from April to May and mature into a brownish-yellow cone with leathery, blunt scales.