About Xylomelum occidentale R.Br.
This species, Xylomelum occidentale R.Br., usually grows as a tree or shrub reaching 2 to 8 meters (6 feet 7 inches to 26 feet 3 inches) in height, and it has epicormic buds. It flowers between December and February, producing pale cream-white to sulphurous yellow blooms. The flower surface is finely covered in silky hairs, and flowers grow on spikes at the ends of branches. Its ripe fruit splits deeply along one edge, resembles a pear from the genus Pyrus, and measures over 76 mm (3 inches) long and 44 mm (1.75 inches) wide. The leaf margins are spiny. The greyish to black bark is finely cracked and remains persistent on the tree. This species is native to the South West, Peel, and Swan Coastal Plain regions of Western Australia, where it grows in sandy soils. It has broader leaves than the closely related Xylomelum angustifolium, which occurs to the east, though the two species have similar fruit.
