When you are planning out you holiday decorations the tree tends to the focal point of the design and often the style of tree can outline the style of the decorations. So, as we pick these new friends out, we wanted to go over some of the common types of trees that are grown just for this season.

Types:

There are three main types of christmas trees on the market and depending on your location the varieties with in each type can vary as well.

First is the Fir which are considered to be the OG or main type of christmas trees people think of when looking for them. Fir needles are typically short and mostly soft with blunt tips. The shape of a fir tree is very narrow with rigid, upright, or horizontal branching as opposed to the “drooping” branches characteristic of some spruce trees. On firs, there is a distinct lack of needles on the bottom side of its twig, unlike spruces that carry needles in a whirl all around the twig. In true firs, the base of each needle is attached to a twig by a structure that looks like a “suction cup”. 

Second is the Spruce often considered a good option when wanting those really filled out needles on the branches. Spruces are large trees and can be distinguished by their whorled branches where needles radiate equally in all directions around the branch (and look very much like a bristle brush). The needles of spruce trees are attached singly to the branches sometimes in a spiral fashion.

Third is the Pine a more specialty type of christmas tree as it has a more unique look to the others. Pine trees produce long, narrow needles 1 to 11 inches long. For example, longleaf pine trees (Pinus palustris) grow needles 9 inches long. Pine needles range from blue to dark green and are bundled into groups of two, three or five needles. The needles connect near the point where they attach to the branch. Most pine trees produce lateral branches in large whorls running up a straight trunk, which make the tree easy to climb. The bark covering the trunk and branches flakes off with large scales. The pine tree releases a strong pine scent when disturbed or overheated