Xylomelum pyriforme
Encyclopedia
Xylomelum pyriforme, commonly known as the woody pear, is a tree species
in the family Proteaceae
. It is endemic to Australia
. First documented at Botany Bay
by Joseph Banks
and Daniel Solander
in 1770, it was first described as Banksia pyriformis by German botanist Joseph Gaertner
in 1788 in De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum. It was given its current name in 1809 by the gardener Joseph Knight
in his On the cultivation of the plants belonging to the natural order of Proteeae
. The species name "pear-shaped" is derived from the Latin
words pyrus "pear" and formis "shape".
Xylomelum pyriforme grows as a large shrub or small tree, usually reaching 4-5 m (13-16 ft) high, although trees to 15 m (50 ft) have been recorded in the Howes Valley northwest of Sydney. The large juvenile leaves have dentate (toothed) margins with 6 to 11 teeth along each edge, while the adult leaves have entire margins. The prominently veined leaves measure 10 to 20 cm (4-8 in) and are up to 5 cm (2 in) wide. They are glabrous (smooth) and dark green. New growth is covered in a fine rust-coloured fur. Flowering from September to November, the inflorescence
s measure 5 to 8 cm (2-3.4 in) and are rusty coloured. Flowers are followed by the development of the large, woody, pear-shaped seed pod which is up to 9 cm (3.6 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) wide.
The plant's range is from the New South Wales mid-north coast south to Mittagong, with an outlying record from the vicinity of Cooma. Xylomelum pyriforme grows on nutrient-poor well-drained sandstone soils in open eucalypt woodland. It is associated with such species as yellow bloodwood (Corymbia eximia
), red bloodwood (C. gummifera
), scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma), silvertop ash (E. sieberi
), brown stringybark (E. capitellata
), grey gum (E. punctata) and scribbly gum (E. sclerophylla
).
Xylomelum pyriforme regenerates from a lignotuber
or epicormic buds after bushfires, and can sucker from the roots. It is one of a number of Australian species that require a fire to open and disperse their seeds. Early European settlers of Australia used the tree's wood to make gun stocks.
Rarely seen in cultivation due to the scarcity of seed, Xylomelum pyriforme seedlings grow readily but commonly quickly succumb to damping off
. A plant may take 20 years to reach flowering stage from seed.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the family Proteaceae
Proteaceae
Proteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...
. It is endemic to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. First documented at Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
by Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
and Daniel Solander
Daniel Solander
Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil.-Biography:...
in 1770, it was first described as Banksia pyriformis by German botanist Joseph Gaertner
Joseph Gaertner
Joseph Gaertner was a German botanist, best known for his work on seeds, De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum ....
in 1788 in De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum. It was given its current name in 1809 by the gardener Joseph Knight
Joseph Knight (horticulturist)
Joseph Knight , gardener to George Hibbert, was one of the first people in England to successfully propagate Proteaceae...
in his On the cultivation of the plants belonging to the natural order of Proteeae
On the cultivation of the plants belonging to the natural order of Proteeae
On the cultivation of the plants belonging to the natural order of Proteeae is an 1809 paper on the Proteaceae family of flowering plants. Although nominally written by Joseph Knight as a paper on cultivation techniques, all but 13 pages consists of an unattributed taxonomic revision now known to...
. The species name "pear-shaped" is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
words pyrus "pear" and formis "shape".
Xylomelum pyriforme grows as a large shrub or small tree, usually reaching 4-5 m (13-16 ft) high, although trees to 15 m (50 ft) have been recorded in the Howes Valley northwest of Sydney. The large juvenile leaves have dentate (toothed) margins with 6 to 11 teeth along each edge, while the adult leaves have entire margins. The prominently veined leaves measure 10 to 20 cm (4-8 in) and are up to 5 cm (2 in) wide. They are glabrous (smooth) and dark green. New growth is covered in a fine rust-coloured fur. Flowering from September to November, the inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s measure 5 to 8 cm (2-3.4 in) and are rusty coloured. Flowers are followed by the development of the large, woody, pear-shaped seed pod which is up to 9 cm (3.6 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) wide.
The plant's range is from the New South Wales mid-north coast south to Mittagong, with an outlying record from the vicinity of Cooma. Xylomelum pyriforme grows on nutrient-poor well-drained sandstone soils in open eucalypt woodland. It is associated with such species as yellow bloodwood (Corymbia eximia
Corymbia eximia
Corymbia eximia, commonly known as the Yellow Bloodwood, is a bloodwood native to New South Wales. It occurs around the Sydney Basin often in high rainfall areas on shallow sandstone soils on plateaux or escarpments, in fire prone areas. Growing as a gnarled tree to 20 m , it is recognisable by its...
), red bloodwood (C. gummifera
Corymbia gummifera
Corymbia gummifera, commonly known as Red Bloodwood, is a hardwood tree native to eastern Australia.-Description:It usually grows as a tree, but may take the form of a mallee in very poor soils. As a tree it typically grows to a height of 20 to 34 metres and a trunk diameter of one metre dbh....
), scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma), silvertop ash (E. sieberi
Eucalyptus sieberi
Eucalyptus sieberi, the Silvertop Ash or Black Ash is a common eucalyptus tree of south eastern Australia. The range of distribution is in the higher rainfall areas, from near sea level to high altitude...
), brown stringybark (E. capitellata
Eucalyptus capitellata
Eucalyptus capitellata, commonly known as Brown Stringybark, is a tree native to New South Wales, Australia.-Description:It grows as a tree up to 25 metres tall, with stringy red-brown bark, 10–17 centimetre long green leaves, and white or cream flowers clustered in inflorescences of from seven to...
), grey gum (E. punctata) and scribbly gum (E. sclerophylla
Eucalyptus sclerophylla
Eucalyptus sclerophylla, known as the Scribbly Gum, is a tree native to eastern Australia. Very similar to the related Scribbly Gum , a better known tree. The best way of distinguishing the species is the smaller hemispherical to pear shaped gumnuts of Eucalyptus sclerophylla, being 0.6 cm by...
).
Xylomelum pyriforme regenerates from a lignotuber
Lignotuber
A lignotuber is a starchy swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem by fire. The crown contains buds from which new stems may sprout, and a sufficient store of nutrients to support a period of growth in the absence of...
or epicormic buds after bushfires, and can sucker from the roots. It is one of a number of Australian species that require a fire to open and disperse their seeds. Early European settlers of Australia used the tree's wood to make gun stocks.
Rarely seen in cultivation due to the scarcity of seed, Xylomelum pyriforme seedlings grow readily but commonly quickly succumb to damping off
Damping off
Damping off is the term used for a number of different fungus-caused ailments that can kill seeds or seedlings before or after they germinate....
. A plant may take 20 years to reach flowering stage from seed.