Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Xylomelum pyriforme

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Woody pears and leafy stems. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Blue Mouintains National Park

Trunk of old tree, and leafy stems. Photographer John Tannn, Royal National Park south of Sydney

Common name

Woody Pear, Wooden Pear, Native Pear

Family

Proteaceae

Where found

Forest. Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands, north of the Illawarra Highway. Rarely elsewhere.

Notes

Shrub or small tree to 5 m high. Prickly teeth on juvenile leaves. New growth rusty hairy. Leaves opposite each other, leathery, hairless, tips pointed. Adult leaves 10–20 cm long, 30–45 mm wide, margins entire. Juvenile leaves 15–20 cm long, 40–50 mm wide, margins wavy, and with 6–11 teeth along each margin. Flowers to about 10 mm long, with 4 'petals' covered with rusty hairs, each 10-13 mm long, rolled back when the flowers are open. Flowers in spike-like clusters 40–80 mm long. Seed cases woody, narrowly pear-shaped, 6–9 cm long, 3–5 cm diameter. Seeds with one wing. 

Protected NSW.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Xylomelum~pyriforme (accessed 11 Septembe, 2020)