The holiday season in Canada brings softly falling snow and long nights. For many, one of the most well-known symbols of this season is the Christmas Tree, a type of conifer tree.
In North America, conifer trees are distinctive, but many people don’t know what makes a conifer tree a conifer. Conifer trees reproduce by producing cones, as opposed to flowering plants, which reproduce by growing flowers. Coniferous trees are typically softwood trees that have needles. Often, when people think about a conifer, they are actually picturing an evergreen, which shed their leaves (needles) at varying rates all year round, much the same that way animals release their fur, leaving them with constant green growth. The opposite of this is a deciduous tree, which drop their leaves every fall, leaving their branches bare for the winter months. Deciduous trees are typically hardwood trees that have broad leaves. This means that some trees can be deciduous conifers, like the Larch tree! If you want to learn more about the differences between these trees, check out our Terrific Trees blog here.
Though coniferous trees can be found worldwide, most are found in the Northern Hemisphere, preferring temperate climates. It’s estimated that there are 600 species of coniferous trees worldwide, with approximately 30 of them native to Canada. Conifers native to Canada include varieties of pine, spruce, larch, fir (including true firs of the Abies family and other firs of the Pinaceae family), hemlock, cedar, cypress, juniper, and yew. Odds are that reading that list will have triggered a rush of smell memories, as conifer trees have some of the most distinctive, calming fragrances in a forest. Canada’s coastal regions have the highest diversity of coniferous trees, with BC topping out at 25. Distinguishing all of the varieties using only visual means can be difficult, and requires extensive familiarity with the needles, cones, bark, and shape of the trees.
One of the easier to distinguish and wider known varieties of coniferous trees in Alberta is the Christmas Tree, sometimes referred to as the Holiday Tree. It comes with some notably unique features, such as being found indoors with a star on top that blooms annually, with glowing, colourful, large, inedible berries, and icicles that don’t melt. It is a tree of bright abundance, dropping presents for kids to forage for during the winter solstice. The Christmas Tree itself has many different varieties. Some of the more common types that you might see include:
Firs: Noble, Douglas, Balsam, Fraser
Pine: Scotch, Virginia
Spruce: Blue, Norway, White
Artificial: Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Costco
The Christmas Tree is the most recent evolution in trees, symbolizing eternal and renewing life due to their ability to stay alive through harsh, cold winters. These diverse winter-thriving trees give us the gift of their presence all year round, both inside our living rooms, and outside in our neighbourhoods and landscapes. Take a walk, breathe deeply, and enjoy being among these marvelous companions.
Guest blog by Sandra Rastin. All photos credited to author.