"Twigs have gray hairs"

The Christmas tree out on the porch by the early morning light.

Today's the day! The tree -- a near perfectly symmetrical Balsam Fir grown in Nova Scotia and with its own website -- will come inside to fill the studio with the aura of its bristliness and the fragrance that is its pinaceous birthright (most of the trees you get at your local place, whether spruce, fir or pine, are members of the Pine Family). In case you're wondering about your own tree's provenance -- unless it's artificial, and that's another fascinating story -- check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's "Christmas Tree Identification" page.  One of the identifying characteristics of our own Balsam Fir which we hadn't realized: "Twigs have gray hairs."

Comments

[acjgoomp]

Thanks for the lesson about trees. One question, is the hemlock also a member of the pine family?

[Sissy Willis]

Yes. Our lovely native evergreen Eastern Hemlock -- Tsuga canadensis -- is a member of the Pine Family, distinct from the totally different Poison Hemlock (of Socratic fame) -- Conium maculatum -- a biennial herb of European origin and member of the Parsley Family. I've seen both growing locally in York, Maine, the evergreens on northern hillsides and the herbs in roadside ditches.