Parrotia persica | Persian Ironwood

The Parrotia persica is a medium to large, deciduous tree native to Iran. This is a spectacular specimen tree with all year round interest, best known for its stunning autumn colour of yellow, red and purple. It has a round wide-spreading habit with almost horizontal branches and an irregular branching pattern. The Parrotia persica is also planted as a large shrub that will grow to a height of 8m. In late winter to early spring clusters of small, red flowers appear on the bare stems followed by large glossy, deeply-ribbed green leaves with wavy edges. The light grey bark exfoliates as it matures revealing pink, green and yellow bark underneath. The Parrotia persica is related to the Hamamelis, Witch hazel family and, as the common name suggests, the wood is almost indestructible.