Why do Georgia Tech’s weeping trees grow in a zig zag?

Q: On the Georgia Tech campus, I saw a weeping tree growing in a zigzag form, not straight up like most trees. Why does it grow like this? 

A: I’ll bet you saw a weeping Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula.’ It does that (weep) because a change in the growing tip caused growth to go horizontal rather than vertical. This plant initially grows vertically, but after several years, it begins to lose its verticality and grow horizontally. It can