Parrotia persica ‘Vanessa’ is 2014 Urban Tree of the Year

By Owen Croy, City Trees

The Persian ironwood tree is native to the lower mountain slopes of northern Iran, and it has been planted widely in cities across Europe and North America for many years. It has great color in the spring, with glossy, green, red-tipped leaves that later turn a darker green through the summer. Fall color is spectacular, often with leaves of multiple colors on the tree at the same time: orange, purple, yellow and green. When older, this tree has flaky grey bark that is very attractive, giving it year-round appeal.

The cultivar 'Vanessa' emerged from Europe in the 1970s and is now widely cultivated in North American nurseries. 'Vanessa' is upright, almost columnar, with branches that arch gracefully outward towards the tip. It is a slow-growing small tree, reaching a height of about 36 feet (11 meters) at maturity. Perhaps because of its slow growth rate, it seems that much of the available nursery stock is slightly smaller than would be typical for street tree planting programs. It is hardy in USDA zones 4-8.

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