Persian ironwood

Parrotia persica

Spreading deciduous tree from the Caspian region with leaves that turn through every shade of yellow, orange, red and purple in autumn over an unusually long period. The bark is also strikingly mottled.

Hardiness ratings

Persian ironwood hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −34.4 °C to −6.7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H6 −20 °C to −15 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −29 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 2–5 −10 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Autumn colour develops over an unusually long period — October into November in temperate Northern Hemisphere gardens
  • Tiny dark red filament flowers appear on bare branches in February — secondary late-winter interest
  • Mottled flaking bark provides year-round structural interest
  • Slow growing, eventually a wide-spreading specimen tree

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Persian ironwood against your zones

Reference

Persian ironwood on Wikipedia