LEADERS FIELD

A LOOK AT SOME POPULAR TANNENBAUM TYPES in the

FRASER FIR (Abies fraseri)

Quick take: Touted as the most popular tree in the U.S., the Fraser has strong branches, excellent needle retention, and a sweet-spicy scent. Needles: Dark blue-green with silvery undersides; ½ to 1 inch long; blunted and pliable. Fun fact: Frasers have been used for the official White House Christmas tree more than any other species.

BALSAM FIR (Abies balsamea)

Quick take: The balsam is very similar to the Fraser, but its branches tend to be more pliable, making it a solid choice for wreaths, too. Needles: Dark green with lighter underside; ¾ to 1½ inches long; blunted and pliable. Fun fact: Its resin has been put to a variety of uses, including gluing cover slips to microscope slides, treating combat wounds during the Civil War, and as a cough medicine ingredient.

DOUGLAS-FIR (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Quick take: A popular alternative to Frasers and balsams (though not a fir at all—hence the hyphenated name), it has a more subtle pine fragrance and bendy branches that are best for lightweight ornaments. Needles: Dark yellow-green to dark bluish green; 1 to 1½ inches long; soft and feathery. Fun fact: Douglas-fir was used to replace the masts of the U.S.S. Constitution in 1925, when no sufficiently large white pines could be found.

EASTERN WHITE PINE (Pinus strobus)

Quick take: Hardy and fast-growing, the white pine is usually among the more affordable tree options. It has little or no odor and is a good choice for garlands, wreaths, and centerpieces, too, thanks to its long, feathery needles and very pliable branches. Needles: Dark green-bluish green; 2½ to 5 inches long, soft and slender, arranged in small bundles. Fun fact: The Eastern white is the largest pine in the U.S. and the state tree of Maine and Michigan (and a favorite of Henry David Thoreau, who used white pine for his cabin in the woods).

BLUE SPRUCE (Picea pungens)

Quick take: Its silvery color makes this one of the showiest Christmas trees. It has the best needle retention among spruces and strong, rigid branches; on the other hand, it’s quite prickly and its odor can be on the musky side. Needles: Silvery/bluish/greenish; 1 to 1½ inches; very stiff. Fun fact: Its Latin name was inspired by its needles pungens means “sharp-pointed”—as in puncture).

n O ver the past 50-odd years, only three trees from New England have served as the official White House Christmas tree: one from Massachusetts, one from Vermont, and one “anonymously donated from New England.”