Pine or Fir? Christmas Tree Trivia from Flowers and Greens

So! You’ve set up your Christmas tree to feel this season more. Perhaps you set that up way the beginning of the BER months in September. But have you ever wondered what this tree really is? Because some people call it a pine tree while some say it’s fir!

Here are some trivia we are sharing with you today about Christmas’ most popular icon, the Christmas tree.

Decorated Tree for Christmas

Fir, one of the trees used as Christmas tree today, were used way back by pagans and Christians in celebrating winter festivals. The Romans used to decorate their homes with these greens to mark the winter solstice, recognizing the the spring is coming and farms would soon be green again. Along with it were cherry and hawthorn which were said to be used as early Christmas trees in Northern Europe.

Though the exact time of the first use is still a subject of debate, one story has it that the first person to bring home a Christmas tree was Martin Luther in 16th century. Luther was said to have erected a tree in the main room of his house and put candles around it to capture the scene, the brightly shining stars amidst the greens, he saw on his way home one winter night.

Today, people use these trees to make Christmas decoration. In the U.S Christmas trees, including pine, fir and spruce, grow in 50 states. In the Philippines, only pine trees grow and in relatively cold places like Baguio and Tagaytay and others with a fine stable climate.

Pine or Fir?

In the country, fir and pine are the two most popularly used Christmas trees. Even though we mostly use artificial ones, it’s still great to know if the one we bought is fir or pine. Both are conifer trees which means they produce  cones. So what’s the difference?

In terms of foliage, fir has shorter and flatter needles that grow singly in the tree’s stem.

Pine needles grow in cluster of up to eight needles per bundle. They are soft, thread-like and glossy. They can grow up to 12 to 16 inches.

Cones of these trees are also used as Christmas decorations.

Fir cones can be male or female. The female ones grow on the uppermost branches. They are egg shape and in purple or blue- green in color. When they ripe, they change color to golden brown. The male one on the other hand, grow all over the tree and are pendent. In pine trees, the female cones grow at the tips of the branch. They point downward.From green, they turn to reddish brown as they ripe. They then release the seeds. The male ones are smaller and grown at the base of the needles cluster.

Now, is your Christmas tree Pine or Fir?