Chinese Ironwood

Parrotia subaequalis commonly called Chinese ironwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hamamelidaceae. It is a tree native to Anhui, southern Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang provinces in southeastern China. There are five disjunct populations of P. subaequalis in eastern China: two each in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces (Huang et al. 2005) and one in Anhui (Shao and Fang 2004).

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.