DAY 226 (17 NOVEMBER) – Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) (Winkworth Arboretum)
Well if I couldn’t find an interesting tree at Winkworth Arboretum, where could I? It wasn’t just the unusual leaves but the particular ‘squatness’ of this tree that caught my eye. It had a sort of bonsai shape but of course in a bigger tree.
Turns out to be native to northern Iran and southern Azerbaijan, but curiously named after a German naturalist called Georg Friedrich Parrot. It’s popular as an ornamental tree because of its autumn colours (so there we are) and its smooth patterned bark.
