Biology:Parrotia persica
| Parrotia persica | |
|---|---|
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| Specimen planted in Belgium | |
| Scientific classification Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Hamamelidaceae |
| Genus: | Parrotia |
| Species: | P. persica
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| Binomial name | |
| Parrotia persica (DC.) C.A.Mey.
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Parrotia persica, the Persian ironwood, is a deciduous tree in the family Hamamelidaceae, closely related to the witch-hazel genus Hamamelis. It is native to Iran's Caspian region (where it is called انجیلی Script error: The function "transl" does not exist.) and Iranian Azerbaijan (where it is called Dəmirağacı). It is endemic in the Alborz mountains, where it is found mainly in Golestan National Park.[1]
The species was named by Carl Anton von Meyer to honor his predecessor at the University of Dorpat, German naturalist Georg Friedrich Parrot.,[2] who botanized in the Alborz on a mountaineering expedition in the 1830s.
Another species Parrotia subaequalis[3] (commonly called Chinese ironwood) originates from eastern China. There are five disjunct populations of P. subaequalis in eastern China: two each in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces (Huang et al. 2005)[4] and one in Anhui (Shao and Fang 2004).[5] A full account of this sibling species can be found in an article "The Chinese Parrotia: A Sibling Species of the Persian Parrotia" by Jianhua Li and Peter Del Tredici.[6]
This species is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN (under its former name of Shaniodendron subaequale, which is no longer an accepted name for the species).[citation needed] P. subaequalis is also considered critically endangered (Grade I Key protected Wild Plant) in the China Red Data Book, with a very narrow distribution range. The five known relict populations of P. subaequalis comprise no more than 100 reproductive individuals. Therefore, this species has high conservation priority.[citation needed]
Description
Parrotia persica grows swiftly when young, maturing in gardens to 30 m (98 ft) tall and 8–15 m (26–49 ft) broad, multi-stemmed and naturally somewhat congested but prunable to a single trunk up to 150 cm (59 in) in diameter. The bark is smooth, pinkish-brown flaking/peeling to leave a mosaic of cinnamon, pink, green, and pale yellow patches in a similar manner to plane trees. The leaves are alternate, ovoid, often slightly lop-sided, 6–15 cm (2–6 in) long and 4–10 cm (2–4 in) across, with wavy margins; they are glossy green, turning in autumn to a rich purple to orange and brilliant red, often on the same tree.
The flowers are somewhat similar to witch-hazel flowers but dark red; they are likewise produced in late winter on bare stems, but differ in having only four rounded sepals with no petals; the stamens are however fairly conspicuous, forming a dense red cluster 3–4 mm (1⁄8–3⁄16 in) across. The fruit is a two-parted capsule containing two seeds, one in each half.[7]
Fossil record
Among the middle Miocene Sarmatian palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria, researchers have recognized Parrotia fossil pollen. The sediment containing it had accumulated in a lowland wetland environment with various vegetation units of mixed evergreen/deciduous broadleaved/conifer forests surrounding the wetland basin. Key relatives of the fossil taxa found with Parrotia are presently confined to humid warm temperate environments, suggesting a subtropical climate during the middle Miocene in Austria.[8]
Cultivation
Parrotia persica is cultivated as an ornamental tree for its brilliant autumn colour and the smooth, patterned bark.[9] As an uncommon, drought-tolerant garden tree of moderate size, it is prized for its striking autumn colour and the exfoliating bark that develops on mature specimens.[10]
Several cultivars have been selected for garden planting:
- 'Horizontalis': semi-weeping, wide-spreading horizontal branching pattern.
- 'Pendula' (Kew Form): Compact, weeping, quite graceful
- 'Select': Young leaves have purple margins, otherwise same as species
- 'Vanessa': Upright, columnar habit
'Vanessa' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[11][12]
Gallery
February Flowers
September leaves
Bark of a specimen in Botanical Garden Jevremovac
.JPG)
References
- ↑ "Iran Wild Frontiers (Part 1): Golestan National Park and Tandoureh National Park - Visit Our Iran - Discover Iran". https://www.visitouriran.com/blog/iran-wild-frontiers-golestan-national-park-and-tandoureh-national-park/.
- ↑ Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names. USA: Timber Press. pp. 312. ISBN 9781604691962. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781604691962/page/312.
- ↑ "Parrotia subaequalis in Flora of China @ efloras.org". http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242335972.
- ↑ Huang, S., Y. Fang, Y. Peng, J. Yan, and S. Fang. 2005. The niche study of Shaniodendron subaequale population of Longchi mountain. Journal of Central South Forestry University 25: 80–83.
- ↑ Shao, X. F. and G. F. Fang. 2004. Habitat survey and ex situ conservation of Shaniodendron subaequale. Journal of Anhui Forest Science and Technology. 2: pp. 12–13
- ↑ "The Chinese Parrotia: A Sibling Species of the Persian Parrotia" (PDF). http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2008-66-1-the-chinese-parrotia-a-sibling-species-of-the-persian-parrotia.pdf.
- ↑ Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed.. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. pp. 3804. ISBN 978-0199206872.
- ↑ Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: part III. Magnoliophyta 1 – Magnoliales to Fabales, Friðgeir Grímsson, Barbara Meller, Johannes M. Bouchal & Reinhard Zetter, Grana 2015, Vol 54, No. 2,85-128.
- ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Parrotia persica". http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1382.
- ↑ "Persian ironwood | The Morton Arboretum". https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/persian-ironwood.
- ↑ "RHS Plantfinder - Parrotia persica 'Vanessa'". https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/54136/i-Parrotia-persica-i-Vanessa/Details.
- ↑ "AGM Plants - Ornamental". Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 72. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q1138533 entry
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