2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Parrotia (lat. Parrotia) Is a monotypic genus of trees of the Witch hazel family. The only representative of the genus is Persian Parrotia (lat. Parrotia persica). Other names are ironwood, iron ore or ambergris. Parrotia is botanically similar to witch hazel. The plant got its name in honor of the naturalist Johann Parrot. Parrotia flaunts on one of the postage stamps of Azerbaijan. In this country, she is a kind of symbol.
Characteristics of crops
Parrotia is a highly branching deciduous tree up to 30 m high with a broad-ovate crown and a short trunk reaching 1.5 m in diameter. The wood is dense, strong, heavy. The branches are smooth, olive green, often pubescent, prone to accretion. The buds are stalked, fusiform, covered with brown scales. Leaves are dark green, asymmetrical, petiolate, elliptical or obovate, up to 12 cm long, pubescent, pointed at the tips.
In autumn, the foliage becomes yellow, orange, brown, purple and even red. Leaves do not fall off for a long time, sometimes until mid-winter. The flowers are inconspicuous, petalless, with a 5-7-petal calyx, collected in capitate inflorescences of 2-5 pieces. Fruits are small, oval, when ripe they open with two valves. Seeds are sharp, ovoid, with shine. Parrotia blooms in March-April, fruits ripen by October. The average age is 180-200 years.
Distribution and application
Currently, the culture is found in the relict forests of Azerbaijan and Iran near the Caspian coast. Parrotia is an adherent of a warm temperate and subtropical climate. Often grows in the mountains, but not higher than 700 m above sea level; along streams and rivers and other humid places. In Europe, parrotia is used as a decorative culture, it is easy to cut and shape. In Russia, plants are extremely rare, although they are able to withstand frosts down to -25C. Parrotia wood is used for the manufacture of frames, joinery, hatchets, floorboards, etc.
The subtleties of growing
Parrotia prefers well-drained, slightly acidic, podzolized soils. Accepts slightly alkaline calcareous soils with the addition of organic matter. When growing crops in containers, the soil mixture is made up of fertile soil and peat. The location is sunny or partially shaded. Thick shade is undesirable. In shaded areas, the color of the foliage of the parrotia is less intense.
Reproduction
Parrotia is propagated by seeds and layering. Seeds are sown in September-October (immediately after harvest) in an unheated room under a shelter in the form of peat or humus. Entries appear within 1-1.5 years. The grown seedlings are transplanted into separate containers, and grown in room conditions. Parrotia, obtained by sowing seeds, is planted in a permanent place after 4-5 years.
Reproduction of parrotia by layering is not prohibited. For this, the lower shoots are slightly incised and dropped into the soil. With the appearance of a well-developed root system, the layers are separated from the mother plant and planted in the ground. As a rule, complete rooting occurs in 1, 5-2 years.
Care
Care comes down to regular and moderate watering, annual fertilizing with complex mineral and organic fertilizers, weeding and loosening of the near-trunk zone. Top dressing is carried out at least 2-3 times a year. Sanitary pruning is required, this procedure consists in removing diseased, broken and frostbitten branches. For the winter, only young specimens need shelter.
Parrotia is extremely rarely affected by pests and diseases, but this applies only to those regions where climatic conditions are optimal for the normal existence of plants. With increased humidity and thick shade, spots appear on the leaves, which are formed due to the unfavorable action of fungi.
