Scientific Name: Abies fraseri
Family: Pinaceae (pine family)

Overview: Widely available on Christmas tree farms and retail lots. Fraser fir has cozy soft needles, an excellent fragrance, and excellent needle retention in the home. It is thus known in the trade as "The Cadillac of Christmas Trees."

Fun Facts: Although widely cultivated and sold as Christmas trees, Fraser fir actually has a very limited native range in Appalachia and is considered a threatened species in Tennessee. Fraser fir has been the most frequently chosen species for the White House Christmas Tree, being the tree of choice in 17 of the last 48 years since 1966 (Douglas-fir is a distant second at 8).

Etymology: Named after Scottish Botanist John Fraser (1750-1811) who made many important botanical collections in the region to which this tree is native. "Fir" is derived from the Middle English (c. 1100-1500 AD) firre and is Germanic in origin. The genus name Abies is Latin for "fir tree." Although it is commonly referred to as the "Fraser fir," its scientific name literally means "Fraser's fir," since fraseri is Latin for "Fraser's."