It has pinnate leaves arranged in opposite pairs with seven to eleven leaflets, panicles of yellow flowers and woody fruit studded with rough points on the surface.

Flindersia xanthoxyla is a tree that typically grows to a height of 40–45 m (131–148 ft) with a trunk diameter of 90 cm (35 in).

The leaves are pinnate, 110–320 mm (4.3–12.6 in) long and arranged in opposite pairs with seven to eleven egg-shaped to elliptical leaflets.

[3][4][5] Yellowwood was first formally described in 1830 by Charles Fraser from an unpublished manuscript by Allan Cunningham who gave it the name Oxleya xanthoxyla.

It was previously used for timber in the construction of coaches, cabinet making, flooring, tool handles, lining, ammunition boxes, artificial limbs and joinery.