What it is — A Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) from the mountainous forests of northern Iran and southern Azerbaijan, named for the 19th-century German naturalist Friedrich W. Parrot. A witch hazel relative, and one of the few deciduous trees grown as much for its trunk as for its canopy.
Why it is unusual — Parrotia is a landscape species. The bonsai trade has stayed with pine, juniper, maple and elm, so trained Parrotia barely exists — a handful of celebrated specimens, and very little else. Milton planted these several years ago specifically to test the species in a pot: leaves reduce under clipping, the twigging comes in fine, and the tree ramifies strongly rather than stalling.
The foliage — Three distinct looks in one year. New leaves emerge rich purple-burgundy in spring, mature to deep green with vibrant purple edges through summer, and turn in autumn to yellow, orange, burgundy and red — frequently all at once on a single tree.
What it comes in — A Yixing clay pot with a patent-pending water-retaining design. The reservoir is the difference between a shallow traditional pot that dries out on a busy day and one that gives you a wider margin for error, which matters most in the first season while you learn the tree.
Size — Approximately 12" wide and 11" tall, set in a pot 10" long, 7.75" wide and 2.75" high. Enough structure to read as a tree, with the primary branching already selected. Kept in this pot and clipped periodically, it holds at roughly 15–18" — you set the ceiling, not the species.
Bark and winter interest — As the tree matures the bark peels away into an intricate mosaic of gray, tan, silver and brown, and the effect deepens every year rather than fading. Clusters of crimson stamens open directly on bare wood in very early spring, before any leaf. Behind them the vertical branching reads like a flame — a tree worth displaying with nothing on it.
Hardiness — Hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Full sun, unfussy about soil, and tolerant of urban conditions. It grows strongly and needs no heavy wiring to hold its shape — regular clipping is most of the work.
Limited — Part of our Fall ’26 release, grown and trained at our nursery in Pescadero, California.
