<Li> Scots pine Pinus sylvestris </Li> <Li> Stone pine Pinus pinea (as small table - top trees) </Li> <Li> Norfolk Island pine Araucaria heterophylla </Li> <P> Several other species are used to a lesser extent . Less - traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as giant sequoia, Leyland cypress, Monterey cypress and eastern juniper . Various types of spruce tree are also used for Christmas trees (including the blue spruce and, less commonly, the white spruce); but spruces begin to lose their needles rapidly upon being cut, and spruce needles are often sharp, making decorating uncomfortable . Virginia pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States; however, its winter color is faded . The long - needled eastern white pine is also used there, though it is an unpopular Christmas tree in most parts of the country, owing also to its faded winter coloration and limp branches, making decorating difficult with all but the lightest ornaments . Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used, particularly in Oceania, and in Australia, some species of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also occasionally used as Christmas trees . But, by far, the most common tree is the Monterey pine . Adenanthos sericeus or Albany woolly bush is commonly sold in southern Australia as a potted living Christmas tree . Hemlock species are generally considered unsuitable as Christmas trees due to their poor needle retention and inability to support the weight of lights and ornaments . </P>

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