Are the needles fairly sharp-pointed, easy to roll between two fingers (4-sided or diamond-shaped in cross-section), and held on the twig on peg-like projections that persist after the needle falls? Clue: the cones are papery. These are spruces.

Are the needles not sharp-pointed, not easy to roll between two fingers (flat in cross-section), and not held on the twig on peg-like projections?