10 Common Species of Christmas Trees
There is nothing better than a Christmas tree to set off the festive atmosphere, but have you ever wondered what kind of tree a Christmas tree is? Norway spruce is considered to be the original tree, but because of the place of origin, a variety of similar conifers are also used all over the world. Here are the most common ones:
The fastest-growing of all spruces, the Norway spruce (Picea abies) makes for a good roosting spot for owls and hawks. Its wood is used for paper, construction lumber, and musical instruments, and its needles can be used to brew spruce beer. It is also a popular choice for Christmas trees.
Silver fir (Abies alba) is a large evergreen conifer that will grow from 135 to 165 feet tall. It has large, flat needles and produces big pine cones. Native to Europe, its pyramid shape makes it perfect for use as a Christmas tree. Grows in full sun to partial shade with moist, well-drained soil.
As its name implies, the Caucasian fir (Abies nordmanniana) is native to the Caucasus Mountains spanning Europe and Asia. This cold weather lover typically grows to about 50 feet tall (and can reach 200 feet), but much younger specimens are often grown and taken home as Christmas trees.
A. procera is a large evergreen tree up to 70 m tall and 2 m in trunk diameter, rarely to 90 m tall and 2.7 m in diameter, with a narrow conic crown. The bark on young trees is smooth and gray with resin blisters, becoming red-brown, rough and fissured on old trees.
It is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 20 m tall, exceptionally 40 m, with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m. The shoots are buff-brown, and densely pubescent (hairy). The leaves are needle-like, 10-20 mm long, flattened in cross-section, dark blue-green above, and blue-white below.
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a native Eurasian pine plant that grows on nutrient-poor, dry, rocky soils. Given the name, it should come as no surprise that Scots pine is the national tree of Scotland. It is also important within the forestry industry due to its use for wood pulp and timber.
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a tree native to North America. It is an evergreen conifer well-studied by botanists. Douglas fir grows well in acidic or neutral soils. It is a dominant species in the forests of the United States Pacific Northwest region. Commercially, it is used for timber.
Did you know that your last Christmas tree could have been a Balsam fir? A common choice during the holidays, the Balsam fir is native to North America and Canada and is well adapted to colder climates. The bark on young trees is smooth and grey. It contains resin blisters which often spray when rupture, and then become rough and fissured areas of the bark.
Fraser’s fir is commercially farmed for use as Christmas trees in the United States; it is in fact the most popular tree for this use in the industry. The soft fragrant pine needles make the evergreen tree a good choice in gardens designed for the blind.
Grand Fir (Abies grandis) is a towering evergreen tree native to the American Pacific Northwest. The softwood lumber is useful for papermaking and the citrusy foliage scent makes Abies grandis a popular choice as a Christmas tree. The tallest recorded specimen in the wild is 81.4 m tall!