Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Andreia Morrison's Christmas tree had to be chic, so she ordered crystal ornaments and bronze ribbons. The tree itself had to be black.

Morrison is neither Goth nor Grinch; she sells school supplies in New York City and is a part-time interior designer. Her 7 1/2-foot conversation piece is the trendiest of this year's artificial trees. For those on the cutting edge of Christmas, black is this year's green.

``I'm a New Yorker,'' Morrison said. ``And New Yorkers love black.''

Black Christmas trees, sold mostly by online retailers, became must-have items among urban sophisticates after travelers to the U.K. spotted them last year. Bloggers generated a buzz about the faux firs.

Bill Quinn, president of the Dallas-based online retailer christmastreeforme.com, said he ran out of black trees before Thanksgiving though he declined to say how many of them he sold. He adds five names each day to a waiting list for next year.

Black is ``the `it' tree for 2006 in the U.S.,'' Quinn says. Prices for the trees, which range from 4 1/2 feet to 7 1/2 feet tall, are from $140 to $399 at christmastreeforme.com.

Sales of the black trees aren't known and comprise a small percentage of the artificial Christmas trees displayed in U.S. homes, retailers said. The National Christmas Tree Association, based in Chesterfield, Missouri, said 9.3 million artificial trees were sold last year.

London Calling

The fad originated last year in the U.K. where the popularity of the tree grew out of a trend in home design, according to Susan Rose, editor of the London-based Ideal Home, the U.K.'s largest-selling interior-design magazine.

The prime demographic for the black Christmas tree is urban homeowners and apartment dwellers whose homes have sleek, black- and-white interior designs, or what Rose calls ``hotel chic,'' in which a black tree becomes part of the décor.

U.S. visitors and tourists dazzled by the black trees returned home and started ``hitting the phones to order their own,'' said Quinn.

``It's not often we Brits get the chance to export a trend to the U.S.,'' Rose said. ``You send us McDonald's and Tom Cruise, we send you black Christmas trees. Revenge at last.''

Teal and bronze are two other colors giving black some competition this year. Last year's star in the novelty category, and still popular, was the upside-down tree that's hung from the ceiling or secured to the floor.

Novelties

Only a ``tiny portion'' of artificial trees are novelties like the black tree, said Gary Chastagner, a Washington State University professor of plant pathology. His expertise has earned him the moniker ``Mr. Christmas Tree'' among colleagues and students.

How long will black reign? ``I don't know,'' Chastagner said. ``How long did the pet rock last?''

There are some positive signs for the dark tree's staying power. Tree Classics Inc. of Lake Barrington, Illinois, the Web's largest closely held online retailer, had no black trees in stock this year. After receiving about 15 requests for them, Tree Classics will devote as much as 10 percent of its inventory next year to black trees, said company President Leon Gamze. Tree Classics co-owns tree factories in Thailand and China.

The ``hundreds'' of black Christmas trees ordered by Minneapolis-based Vickerman Co., which supplies 4,000 retailers in the U.S., were gone in early November and will be replaced in 2007, co-owner Randy Schuster said.

Demand in Atlanta

Demand for the black trees was so hot in Atlanta this year that buyers for Star Decorators Wholesale couldn't get any. So they improvised. They bought several dozen 9-foot green trees, covered them in black bulbs, ribbons and artificial leaves and sold them as custom black trees for $3,500, according to Ken Batts, Star's visual marketing manager.

Star also sold the black accessories as a do-it-yourself black-tree kit.

Target Corp., the second-largest U.S. discount chain, this year offered an ```Onyx and Ice'' tree-decorating set that included black accessories for $174.99. Target's Web site said the kit is sold out.

Morrison, the interior designer with the black tree, lives on City Island in Long Island Sound. She recently threw a party for friends who are ``kind of avant-garde and competitive'' when it comes to holiday decorating.

Would she have this year's coolest tree?

``Oh, yeah,'' she replied with a laugh. ``Hands down.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Moroney in Boston at tmorrone@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 23, 2006 00:02 EST