Woody Pear

This Woody Pear  seed pod comes from the tree Xylomelum pyriforme .Several of these trees  grow on the rocky sandstone ridge to the south behind where we live.
They were burned when the terrible Gospers Mountain Fire  ripped through this area last December 2019, and are testament to the extraordinary powers of survival that some Australian native plants have.
The  hard seed pods of the Woody Pear Tree are beautifully shaped little things, with a velvety surface and a big smiling mouth with two paper thin winged seeds inside.The seeds in this Woody Pear have already flown away.
I’m attempting to document the life cycle of the tree, from the flowering stage in September to when the Woody Pear develops and remains on the branch, for maybe many seasons… perhaps waiting for a bush fire to make the pear burst open and release its seeds.. Watercolour with locally milled Stringy Bark and Grey Gum timber frame
Wallabadah 2020

Name:Sally Reinhardt