Parrotia persica Bella - Persian Ironwood

The Parrotia persica Bella is a variety of Ironwood tree that differs from the typical species mainly by its narrower habit, which gives it a lot of elegance and makes it easier to fit into a medium-sized garden. Its narrow and semi-open oval crown, quite dense, will not exceed 4.50m (15ft) to 5m (16ft) wide. This small tree develops purple foliage in spring, turning to bright green in summer before the autumn blaze. It also surprises in spring with its flowering in clusters of red stamens that appear directly on the bare branches. Finally, in winter, it reveals its beautifully exfoliating bark like that of some plane trees.

The Ironwood tree belongs to the family of hamamelidaceae, it is native to northern Iran and eastern Caucasus. The Bella cultivar was selected in the Caucasus by Herman Geers and introduced to the Netherlands in 2004. At maturity, it will reach about 10m (33ft) in height and 4m (13ft) in width. It has a stout trunk, sometimes even multiple trunks, covered with a gray bark that flakes off in a beautiful camouflage pattern over time. The flowers appear before the leaves directly on the branches. They consist of clusters of dark red stamens surrounded by brown bracts. The Parrotia persica Bella shows purple young shoots in spring. The lamina of the leaves, with a glossy texture, develops by sometimes margining in bronze on a light green background, then dark green. In summer, the coloured margin extends, and the leaf starts to take on beautiful colours. Then the foliage truly ignites in autumn, with green, gold, orange, scarlet, and purple all mingling in a single leaf. The undulate leaves, more or less lozenge-shaped, are thick, strongly veined, and resemble those of the beech tree. In winter, its bark exfoliates in plates and reveals subtle shades of gray, reddish-brown, and verdigris. The colors will be more pronounced in acidic soil, although this tree tolerates some limestone.

The Parrotia persica Bella will naturally find its place as a standalone tree in a medium-sized garden, in a grove, or in an alignment in a park. For example, associate it with heathers, camellias, Hamamelis, Leucothoe, and pieris in acidic soil. In neutral or slightly alkaline, well-drained soil, pair it with 'Grace' smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria 'Grace'), dwarf winged spindle (Euonymus alatus 'Compactus'), and tall autumn asters to create a dazzling grove from September to November. Note that the drought resistance and hardiness of the Ironwood tree allow it to be grown in many situations.

The Parrotia persica was introduced to Europe in 1841. Its vernacular name of Ironwood tree is inspired by its exceptionally hard wood, which is difficult to work with. It has been used as a basis for the creation of tools that are sometimes over 2000 years old.