Parrotia Persica

Fundamental Facts

HARDINESS: Zones 5 to 8
PREFERRED SOIL pH: Acid to near neutral
PREFERRED SOIL TYPE: Average, well-drained
PREFERRED LIGHT: Sun to partial shade
ATTRIBUTES: Vibrant fall color, peeling bark, spring blossoms; for specimens
SEASON OF INTEREST: Year-round
FAVORITES: Parrotia persica and 'Pendula'; Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana
QUIRKS: Fall color progresses from top to bottom of tree
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Lace bark pine, red buckeye, stewartia, witch hazel
WHERE IT GROWS BEST: Average soil in sun or partial shade
LONGEVITY: Lives at least 50 years
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Japanese beetles
SOURCE: Nursery plants
DIMENSIONS: To 40 ft (12.2 m) tall and wide

Parrotia in the Landscape

If you want a small tree that showcases the colors of autumn, look no further than parrotia. Native to Iran and often called Persian parrotia, this rounded tree with colorful fall foliage and dramatic peeling bark tops out at 40 ft (12.2 m) tall with an equal spread. In early fall, while most trees are still green, parrotia begins to attire itself in an array of bright colors. Starting from the top and working down through the crown as days pass, parrotia's colorful display of yellow, orange, and red ranks among the most brilliant of the season.

With strongly horizontal limbs that may begin at ground level, parrotia may be grown either as a large shrub or a small tree with multiple trunks. Parrotia's gray bark cracks and peels as the tree matures, revealing a mottled patchwork of green, brown, cream, and pink beneath. To better see the bark, most gardeners prune away the lower limbs, making the trunk visible in all seasons. But be sure to retain enough of the low branches to keep the fall color display at eye level.

Although autumn color is parrotia's hallmark, it is really beautiful year-round. In spring, before the 4 in (10.2 cm) shiny, oval leaves develop, small flowers with showy red stamens appear. If the tree is grown close to a window or a walkway, the diminutive flowers can be appreciated as a very early sign of spring.

A Tree of Many Shapes

Parrotia comes in a variety of treetop, or crown, shapes. Depending on the tree's early training in nursery fields, you might encounter very upright specimens with a few spreading limbs near the top or bushier plants with numerous broad, horizontal limbs. 'Pendula' is a smaller variety with a dome-shaped top and weeping branches. Since parrotia transplants easily, the best approach when buying is to view plants at a nursery that are big enough to reveal their branching habit, then select the shape you prefer.

Parrotia has a close relative (Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana) from the Himalayas. Hardy to Zone 7, it has smooth gray bark and bright yellow fall color, and it grows under similar conditions.

Growing Parrotia

Plant parrotia in the spring in fertile, well-drained soil. Parrotia displays its best autumn color when grown in acid soil, but it also accepts a near neutral soil pH. This tree prefers partial shade, especially in hot-summer areas, but grows more compact and striking and provides its best fall colors if grown in sun in cool-summer areas. Water deeply during droughts the first year after planting.

In late winter, prune as needed to reveal the attractive bark. Though rarely pestered by insects, Japanese beetles can cause minor damage to leaves. Pick them off and dispose of them in the morning, when they are sluggish. Apply the biological control milky spore, as directed, to lawns in spring to control beetle grubs.