Parrotia persica

As its name suggests, Persian ironwood does originate in former Persia, today's Iran. The Alborz Mountain range in northern Iran near the Caspian Sea is supposed to be the exact area of its natural and original occurrence. It was first described by German botanist Carl Antov von Meyer and named in honour of his predecessor Friedrich Parrot (1791-1841), who after 1830 undertook an expedition to Turkey and Persia. He was not only the first to lead an expedition to conquer Mount Ararat, but also explored and collected unknown plants he encountered during his expedition. Scientists have found parrotia’s pollen in fossils from the middle Miocene, which proves its existence on our planet already 12 to 14 million years ago. It was discovered in southern Austria which was believed of the subtropical climate at that time.

Persian ironwood is a deciduous, usually multi-stemmed tree with beautiful leaves which prove its inclusion in the witch-hazel family (hamamelis, corylopsis, fothergilla, etc.). Its leaves are smooth and glossy, broadly oval, similar to beech but about twice as large: 6-15 x 4-10 cm, with conspicuous veins. They are light green from spring till summer and in autumn they take on a dazzling show of warm colours: salmon, orange, and deep yellow, gradually tone after tone from the ends of the twigs to the trunk. The flowers are tiny clusters of crimson red stamens and bloom in late winter. They cannot be seen from a distance which does not mean they are uninteresting, I myself believe that they are definitely worth coming closer so you can appreciate them when your tree has reached flowering age.

It grows quickly, both when young and later, and naturally forms beautiful frameworks of more stems at its bottom part. Only a light touch of clippers or a handsaw is needed to eliminate weaker, inferior branches making the dominant trunks stand out. They are grey, smooth, and as they age they peel off think flakes revealing an attractive plane-tree-like mosaic in pale shades of cinnamon, grey, pink, and green. With more effort a single-terminal tree can be trained if you don't have room to accommodate a wide multistem above the ground level.

The information about its adult size varies. The RHS encyclopaedia states 8 meters, Wikipedia goes up to even 30 m but no individual of such height has been documented. So far the largest specimen on record lives in the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, USA, and it reached 15 meters in 2010. Unfortunately, we have not been able to ascertain its age. In either way, Persian ironwood is long-lived and does not suffer from diseases or pests.

Find a spacious and sunny spot in your garden where its structure and autumn colouring in warm tones will dominate. For best contrast, you can combine it with shrubs or trees producing stronger autumn colours with cold tones (liquidambar, acer palmatum, etc.). It likes fertile, deep soil, moist but well-drained soil. Acid soils will enhance its autumn colours. Otherwise, it is undemanding and very easy to grow: apart from occasional watering in its first year in the ground it needs nothing but admiration. Pruning can be done from late winter until early spring. Fully hardy to approx. -34 °C.

Last update 22-10-2006; 21-01-2024