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Macadamia integrifolia

Common name:	Macadamia	Family:	Proteaceae
Author:	Maiden.& Betche.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.
Habitat:	Dry rainforests of the eastern coastal scrub[167, 260].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	M. ternifolia[B] M. ternifolia auct. non[P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Macadamia Nut [P], Macadamia-nut [B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	integrifolia = leaves entire
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Proteales. Protea family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 10m by 10m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Oil Seed.

Seed - raw or cooked. Sweet and delicious, they can be added to cakes, biscuits, ice cream etc[167, 183]. They can also be ground into a flour and then added to cereals to enrich their protein value. The shell is very hard, making it difficult to extract the seed[260].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Plants grow best in rich moist soils and require copious summer watering in their early stages[167], though established plants are very drought resistant[200]. Trees require a sheltered position and are easily damaged by strong winds[200].
Plants can be grown in climates cooler than their native habitat, but they are not very hardy in Britain. They can survive slight frosts, however[200], and have succeeded outdoors in the Scilly Isles[1]. Growth is optimal between temperatures of 20 - 25° c, ceasing when they fall below 10° c or rise above 30° c[200]. Cold weather can result in the loss of the entire crop[200].
The macadamia nut is cultivated for its edible seed in many tropical and sub-tropical areas[167], there are some named varieties[167, 183]. Plants are slow growing in cultivation, seedlings take 6 - 7 years to produce their first fruit[167]. The trees then produce commercial crops for about 40 - 50 years and can fruit for up to 100 years[200].
Pruning is not normally necessary, but is tolerated if carried out in the autumn[188].
This species was formerly considered to be a part of M. ternifolia[167].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse[188]. The dehusked seed germinates quickly at 25° c[200]. The seed can also be sown in the spring in a warm greenhouse[188]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. If trying them outdoors, give the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters.
Cultivars may be grafted.

Cultivars

'Waimanalo': Large nuts, occasionally with twin halves, the shell is relatively thick, the kernel comprising 38.5% of the nut[183]. The flavour is good, oil content is 75% of the kernel[183]. A medium-size, pyramidal, productive tree, it begins to bear after 5 years, producing nuts in large clusters[183]. It is resistant to frost and disease[183] (though almost certainly not to anything more than very light frosts[K]). It grows well in cooler climates than most cultivars, particularly near the ocean[183]. It also yields good crops inland[183].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Proteaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[167] Holliday. I. and Hill. R. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller Ltd. 1974 ISBN 0-85179-627-3
A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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