With Christmas just around the corner, many of us are still confused as to what kind of Christmas tree you have standing in your living room. If you have a live tree that is. A new study reported last week on the national TV news shows that the tide has shifted and more than 50 percent of US citizens now have artificial Christmas trees.

Christmas tree lots are overflowing with a wide assortment of trees—pine, spruce, and fir. But how do you know which one is which? Here are a few tips to help you identify your green beauty.

First, look at the leaves. That’s right the leaves! Pine needles are a type of leaf. Like all trees, the leaves (needles) of evergreens are different on each species of tree. First, count how many needles are growing in each group, called a bundle. The base of each bundle is wrapped in a brown papery sheath. A bundle can have one to five needles growing together.

If your tree has two or more needles growing from a single bundle than you have one of the true “pine” trees. One of the more popular “pine” Christmas trees is the Scotch Pine. It has two long needles bundled together. Each needle is slightly twisted along its length which gives the tree a fuller look. Also very popular is the White Pine. It has bundles of five needles. Each needle is several inches long and very straight. When you run your hands over the needles of a White Pine, it feels very soft.

If your tree has only one needle per bundle you have one of the fir or spruce trees. It is easy to distinguish between these two types of evergreens. Try shaking hands with your tree. If the needles are very sharp you probably have a spruce tree. Another way to check is to pull off a single needle and roll it between your fingers. Spruce trees have square, or four sided needles. If you are having troubles feeling the edges than cut the needle in half so you can see it in cross section. A handy way to remember how to identify a spruce tree is; Spruce and Square both start with “S”.

If your needles are flat, you have a fir tree. Shaking hands with a fir tree doesn’t result in a trip to the emergency room like the spruce tree. Fir trees have soft, flat, pliable needles. Pull one of these needles off and take a closer look. The needles are flat. A handy way to remember how to identify this tree is; Fir and Flat both start with “F”.

So to recap, if you have a tree with two or more needles from a bundle you have one of the pines. Square needles are spruce and flat needles are fir. Happy Holidays. Until next time…..