6 Arbor Age / January/February 2014 www.arborage.com
he Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA), comprised of ur-
ban forestry professionals worldwide, has chosen 'Vanessa'
Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica 'Vanessa') as its 2014 Urban
Tree of the Year. The yearly selection must be adaptable to
a variety of harsh growing conditions and have strong
ornamental traits. The Tree of the Year program has been running
for 18 years, and past honorees include live oak (2013), Accolade
elm (2012), and goldenraintree (2011).
The Persian ironwood tree is native to the lower mountain slopes
of northern Iran, and it has been planted widely in cities across
Europe and North America for many years. It has great color in
the spring, with glossy, green, red-tipped leaves that later turn a
darker green through the summer. Fall color is spectacular, often
with leaves of multiple colors on the tree at the same time: orange,
purple, yellow and green. When older, this tree has fl aky grey bark
that is very attractive, giving it year-round appeal.
The cultivar 'Vanessa' emerged from Europe in the 1970s and is
now widely cultivated in North American nurseries. 'Vanessa' is up-
right, almost columnar, with branches that arch gracefully outward
toward the tip. It is a slow-growing small tree, reaching a height of
about 36 feet at maturity. Perhaps because of its slow growth rate,
it seems that much of the available nursery stock is slightly smaller
than would be typical for street tree planting programs. It is hardy
in USDA zones 4-8.
In Surrey, British Columbia, 'Vanessa' is being planted as a street
tree where there are overhead lines in close proximity to the planting
TREE OF THE YEAR
The Society of
Municipal Arborists presents
The 2014
Urban Tree of the Year:
B y M i c h e l l e S u t t o n
Parrotia Parrotia
persica persica
'Vanessa' 'Vanessa'
T
Photo by J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
Photo by Owen Croy
