Types and Names of Christmas Trees

There are two main types of Christmas Trees, see List of Natural Christmas Tree names and List of Artificial Christmas Tree names. Christmas Trees are evergreen trees that are decorated in the celebration of Christmas. They may also be called Yule Trees. Traditionally many different species of evergreen trees are used for a Christmas tree and their common and scientific names are listed below.

The origin of the Christmas Tree tradition suggests that a Fir (Abies) Tree was probably used as the first Christmas Tree in 16th Century Northern Germany. The word Tannenbaum, is a German word for "fir tree". This can be understood to be a "Christmas tree". However the literal meaning of "Christmas tree" is in the word "Weihnachtsbaum", where Weihnacht;en means Christmas and baum means Tree.

Many Christmas trees can be bought locally or online. In North America some popular stores include Lowes, Home Depot, Menards and other Home Stores. In Europe some stores may include Homebase, and ASDA.
In any location Local Smaller stores or tree farms may serve your needs better in searching for that special tree yourself.

Natural Christmas Trees

Traditional Christmas Trees are natural trees that have been cut down on a Christmas Tree Farm or from its natural location.
Many Species have been used for Christmas Trees, see List of Christmas Tree Names.

The most popular genus of Christmas Trees are Fir species (Abies Species), maybe because they don't shed their needles when the tree dries out. Fir Christmas trees retain their foliage smell and color well over the Christmas time while they are decorated.

Species in the Pine and Spruce genus are also used well used as Christmas Trees, see List of Christmas Tree Names. Some Natural trees are sold as Living Christmas Trees. They are sold live with roots and soil, often from a tree farm or nursery. They may grow permanently in planters or planted later outdoors and enjoyed and often decorated for years to come.

List of Christmas Tree Species, Common and Scientific Names

Christmas Tree Common Name	Christmas Tree Botanical Name	Christmas Tree Locations	Christmas Tree Properties	Christmas Tree Pictures
Douglas-Fir or Oregon Pine, or Douglas spruce	Pseudotsuga menziesii	North America	A popular Christmas tree. Has dense foliage. The branches or limbs may be weaker for hanging heavy Christmas ornaments, unlike most other Christmas tree species.
Firs	Abies Genus
Balsam Fir	Abies balsamea	North America	Most popular tree in sales at Christmas tree farms in North America.
Fraser Fir	Abies fraseri	Europe and North America	Fraser Fir has a distinctive fragrance, now associated as a Christmas smell. It has strong limbs, and an ability to retain its short soft needles for a long time after cutting. Fraser Fir needles do not prick your hands as easily while hanging ornaments. Fraser firs are grown and cut in plantations in Scotland. They are transported and sold by the thousands throughout the United Kingdom. Fraser fir is widely used as a Christmas tree in North America. The Fraser fir has been used the most in the White House, as the Blue Room Christmas tree.
Grand Fir or Giant Fir, Lowland White Fir, Great Silver Fir, Western White Fir, Vancouver Fir, Oregon Fir	Abies grandis	North America	This tree has a citrus like scent. The branches are sometimes used for Christmas decorations such as reefs and table decor
Guatemalan Fir	Abies guatemalensis	Used in Central America.	This tree is listed as threatened by the IUCN due to timber exploitation and loss of habitat, (updated 2011-11-12). This tree has a thin foliage, instead of a dense foliage like most other Christmas tree species.
Noble Fir	Abies procera	Europe and North America	A popular Christmas tree. Has dense foliage. Long thick needles may help with hanging Christmas ornaments.
Nordmann Fir	Abies nordmanniana	Europe	Nordmann Fir is a popular species grown in Europe for Christmas trees. It has attractive sparse foliage, with needles that are not sharp, and do not drop easily when the tree dries out after cutting.	Above Photo by Magnus Manske, Image use cc2
Red Fir or Silvertip Fir	Abies magnifica	North America	A popular Christmas tree, almost all the needles point upwards. The tree name Red Fir derives from the color of the bark on the old trees of this species.
Silver Fir or European Silver Fir or Christmastree	Abies alba	Europe	The first Christmas Tree(s) was a Silver Fir.
White Fir or Concolor Fir	Abies concolor	North America	White fir is a popular Christmas tree due to its soft needles and its excellent needle retention. It is also used for Christmas decoration. White Fir has a citrus like smell.
Pines	Pinus Genus
Pinyon Pine	Pinus edulis	North America	The Pinyon Pine is sometimes used for a Christmas tree in the southern Rocky Mountain States of the U.S.A
Jeffrey Pine	Pinus jeffreyi	North America, it is a native tree to the mountain ranges in California down to the mountains in northern Mexico	Nat a common Christmas tree, but still used today.
Scots Pine	Pinus sylvestris	Europe, but introduced to North America	Scots Pine has been widely used in the United States for Christmas trees in the past and still is today. They were most popular from the 1950s through the 1980s. Scots Pine has since been eclipsed in popularity by other species such as Fraser Fir, Douglas-fir and other faster growing trees.
Stone Pine	Pinus pinea	From Europe, but introduced to North America and South Africa.	For small table top Christmas Trees. Young Stone Pine year old seedlings are seasonally available as 20–30 centimeters (8–12 in) tall table-top Christmas trees.
Swiss Pine or Arolla Pine	Pinus cembra	Europe
Spruce	Picea Genus
Norway Spruce	Picea abies	Europe, has been introduced to some parts of North America	The most popular in Europe, and usually the cheapest. Every Christmas, the Norwegian capital city Oslo, provides the cities of New York, London (the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree), Edinburgh and Washington D.C. with a Norway Spruce, which is placed at the most central square of each city.
Serbian Spruce	Picea omorika	Europe	Serbian Spruce is grown in small amounts for the Christmas tree trade. It has a narrow crown, that is to say this tree has a more slender shape to it than most other popular Christmas trees.	Photo by wikipedia user Goldfinger, Image use cc2

Artificial Christmas Trees

Many modern artificial Christmas trees are made entirely from recycled plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other plastics. Some of the main Christmas Tree structure remains to be made out of metal, however this too has been switched over to recycled metals. Artificial Christmas Trees are not recyclable or biodegradable, despite being made from plastic and metal.

Types of Artificial Christmas Trees

Brush Bristle Christmas Trees;

These trees are made from the same animal hair bristles used in brushes, except they are dyed green. For a while in the past, these brush trees were extremely popular, and many Brush Christmas Trees were exported to Great Britain, where they also became popular. These brush bristle Christmas trees have advantages over the earlier feather trees, they could carry more ornamentation, not just in weight, but providing more hanging locations, and they are not as flammable.

Plastic Christmas Trees;

Most artificial plastic Christmas trees are made from PVC plastic. PVC trees are fire retardant but not fire resistant. Artificial plastic Christmas trees come in many sizes and colors, some may have a frosted or glittered color design. Some are designed for outdoor use and have UV additives added to the plastic so they don't fade, or become brittle as quickly.

 Recently Christmas Tree Production Companies have been manufacturing increasingly realistic PVC trees made to resemble the looks of species of natural trees such as, Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine and Norway Spruce.

The Pre-lit Tree (a tree made with the lights already in it) has become increasingly popular in the United States and Germany. In the USA these trees however are not made from recycled plastic materials because pre-lit trees are classified as a category of electrical product and are subject to the mandatory regulations for the electrical products safety standards e.g. UL, CSA, GS, BS and RoHS.

Aluminium Christmas Trees;

Aluminium Christmas trees have branches that are made largely from aluminium and typically have the silver shiny look to them. They are not as popular as they used to be, mainly due to their un-natural look and also because they are largely unsafe for Christmas lights as the metallic branches and needles may cause a short circuit between two light bulbs. This is an older design flaw though, and new types are reported to be safer for lights.

New types of Aluminium Christmas Trees are now appearing back on the market, featuring new designs and colors, and also having the benefit of being made out of recycled materials such as plastic and aluminium. These new trees are able to be packed away and re-used easier than the old styles, another benefit they boast, so hopefully they will get more use and a longer life, thus less trees being thrown out.