What types of Christmas trees are available?

Question:

What types of Christmas trees are available?

Answer:

Many species of trees are available as cut Christmas trees in both local tree farms and commercial lots. The species you select will depend on attributes like color, shape, needle retention, aroma, and branch stiffness (to hold up heavy ornaments). 

Below is a list of Christmas tree speices often found in Iowa and their attributes.  

Popular Christmas Tree Species

Name	Scientific Name	Color	Needle Length	Nativity	Aroma*	Needle Retention	Notes
Fraser Fir	Abies fraseri	dark blue-green with silver undersides	0.5 to 1 inches	Southern Appalachian Mtns	Very Good	Excellent	Stiff branches.  One of the most popular species
Balsam Fir	Abies balsamea	Dark green	0.75 to 1.5 inches	Eastern N. America, including Iowa	Excellent	Excellent	The dense dark needles make it one of the most popular species.
White Pine	Pinus strobus	bluish-green	2.5 to 5 inches	Eastern N. America, including Iowa	Little	Excellent	Long flexible soft needles.  Not recommended for heavy ornaments.
Scotch Pine	Pinus sylvestris	bright green	1 inch	Europe	Good	Excellent	Very popular species.  Needles remain on tree even when dead
Colorado Blue Spruce	Picea pungens	blue	1 to 1.5 inches	Western U.S.	Good to Fair	Very Good	Needles are very sharp.
Douglas Fir	Pseudotsuga menziesii	dark to medium green	1 to 1.5 inches	Western N. America	Very Good	Very Good	Branches not as stiff and can bend with heavy ornaments
Concolor Fir (White Fir)	Abies concolor	dull bluish green	1 to 1.5 inches	Western N. America	Very Good	Excellent	Softer needles than colorado spruce with similar color.
Canaan Fir	Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis	dark green, silvery underside	0.75 to 1.5 inches	Eastern U.S.	Excellent	Excellent	Very similar to balsam and Fraser fir
White Spruce	Picea glauca	green to bluish-green	0.5 to 0.75 inches	Eastern N. America	Not pleasant	Average	Short stiff needles.  Great for heavy ornaments
Noble Fir	Abies procera	dark green, silvery underside	1 inch	Western U.S.	Very Good	Excellent	Know for its beauty.  Also used as greenery for wreaths and garlands.
Red Pine	Pinus resinosa	dark green	3 to 5 inches	Eastern N. America	Good	Very Good	Not as widely grown or available, espeically outside of Iowa.
Eastern Red Cedar	Juniperus virginiana	dark green to bronzy-red/purple	< 0,25 inches, scale shaped	Central and Eastern N. America, including Iowa	Good, strong	Average	Widely available and native to Iowa, but not frequently grown as a Christmas tree.  Not good for heavy ornaments

* Aroma can be highly subjective.  This is how the aroma is rated on average.

Other species of tree that are often grown as Christmas trees but not common to find in Iowa include: Virginia pine, Leyland cypress, Korean fir, grand fir, Nordmann fir, and Norway spruce.

Get more information from this article: Guide to the Selection and Care of Christmas Trees