Persian ironwood Hamamelidaceae Parrotia persica (DC.) C.A. Mey.   symbol: PAPE18
	Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, inequalateral, 3 to 5 inches long, ovate to obovate, wavy toothed to dentate margin, base often very wedge-shaped, dark green above, paler and slightly fuzzy below, yellow to red fall color, new leaves purplish. Flower: Very unusual, rounded less than 1/2 inch across, lacking petals but with showy red stamens subtended by brown bracts, appearing in early spring before the leaves. Fruit: Dry woody capsule (1/2 inch long) that splits when mature, with one shiny brown seed. Twig: Slender, fuzzy light brown; vegetative buds naked but not obviously so, appearing as a folded, small leaf, lanceolate stipules often persist. Bark: Initially smooth, gray-brown and lenticellate, eventually becomes very attractive with exfoliating patches revealing pale grays, tans and greens. Form: A small tree or a multistem shrub to 40 feet with a dense, spreading crown.
	USDA Plants Database Parrotia persica is planted in the highlighted USDA hardiness zones to the left and is not known to widely escape cultivaton.