Persian Parrotia, Persian Ironwood                   par-RO-ti-a PER-si-ka

• Broadleaf deciduous tree/shrub, 20-50 ft (6-15 m) high, rounded, upright, wide spreading branches, often with several trunks.  Bark exfoliating, producing a mosaic of green, white and brown.  Leaves alternate, simple, 6-12 cm long by 2.5-6 cm wide, oval to obovate-oblong, conspicuous stipules, coarsely crenate-dentate above the middle, undulate, (shape resembles Hamamelis), dark green in summer; yellow, orange to brilliant red in fall.  Flowers without petals (apetalous), have showy red stamens, appear before leaves.  Fruit is a brown, 2-valved capsule.
• Sun to light shade.  Prefers well-drained, slightly acid, loam soils.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 5    Native to Iran, Iraq
• Parrotia: after the German naturalist, F.W. Parrot. persica: of Persia (Iran)
• Oregon State Univ. campus: southeast of West International Hall, along service road between Stewartia pseudocamellia and Carpinus caroliniana.