Native to the lower Alborz Mountains of northern Iran, Parrotia persica is a slow-growing, multi-stemmed tree that reaches 15 to 30 feet in height with a spread to match, often wider than tall at maturity. Its flowers are unusual: appearing in late winter before the leaves, they have no petals — just tufts of red stamens emerging from brownish bracts, enough to catch the eye on a bare branch when little else is stirring. The leaves that follow open in reddish-purple and deepen to a glossy medium green through summer, then range from yellow through orange to burgundy in fall. On older trees, the bark begins to exfoliate in irregular patches of green, white, and tan — one of the most striking bark effects of any temperate tree.

Persian ironwood is a member of the witch hazel family and carries that family's no-nonsense constitution. It tolerates clay, sand, light shade, drought, and urban air pollution. Full sun and a moist, well-drained loamy soil bring out its best, but it is adaptable enough to succeed in most conditions within zones 4 to 7. It deserves far wider use as a substitute for overplanted ornamental pears, offering everything they promise and considerably more in return.