''Xylomelum benthamii'' is a plant in the woody pear genus of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Proteaceae. It was formerly considered a variety of ''

Xylomelum pyriforme ''Xylomelum pyriforme'', commonly known as the woody pear, is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae native to eastern Australia. It grows as a large shrub or small tree to five metres high. Taxonomy ''Xylomelum pyriforme'' was first doc ...

''. It is native to south-eastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia, and was described from material collected on 25 June 1829 on the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the G ...

some 140 km north-west of what is now

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, the state capital. It was mistakenly linked with the name ''Xylomelum salicinum'' (Meisn.) Benth., and was given the replacement name ''X. benthamii'' in 2007 by A.E. Orchard, with the specific

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

honouring botanist

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

References

benthamii Proteales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland {{Australia-eudicot-stub