Macadamia is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia (seven species) and Indonesia (Sulawesi; one species, M. hildebrandii).

They are small to large evergreen trees growing to 6-40 m tall. The leaves are arranged in whorls of three to six, lanceolate to obovate or elliptical in shape, 6-30 cm long and 2-13 cm broad, with an entire or spiny-serrated margin. The flowers are produced in a long slender simple raceme 5-30 cm long, the individual flowers 10-15 mm long, white to pink or purple, with four tepals. The fruit is a very hard woody globose follicle with a pointed apex, containing one or two seeds.

The genus is named after John Macadam, who was a colleague of the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller who first described the genus. Common names include Macadamia, Macadamia nut, Queensland nut and Maroochi nut; Indigenous Australian names include Kindal Kindal and Jindilli.

Cultivation and uses

The nuts are a valuable food crop. Only two of the species, M. integrifolia and M. tetraphylla, are of commercial importance. The remainder of the genus possess poisonous and/or inedible nuts, such as M. whelanii and M. ternifolia; the toxicity is due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides. These glycosides can be removed by prolonged leaching, a practice carried out by some Indigenous Australian people to be able to use these species as well.

The two species of edible Macadamia readily hybridise, and M. tetraphylla is rare in the wild due to this. Wild nut trees were originally found at Mt. Bauple near Maryborough in SE Queensland, Australia. Locals in this area still refer to them as "Bauple nuts". The Macadamia nut is the only plant food native to Australia that is produced and exported in any significant quantity.

The Macadamia tree does not begin to produce commercial quantities of nuts until it is 7-10 years old, but once established, may continue bearing for over 100 years. Growing conditions require fertile, well-drained soils, a rainfall of 1000-2000 mm, and temperatures not falling below 10 °C, with an optimum temperature of 25 °C. The roots are shallow and trees can be blown down in storms; they are also susceptible to Phytophthora root disease. Outside of Australia, commercial production is also[established in Hawaii (the largest commercial producer), Brazil,California, Israel, Kenya, South Africa and Malawi.

The Macadamia nut's kernel is extremely hard to mine out of its shell, but after some time in a warm and dry place the shell may develop big cracks. The nut can be opened then with a screwdriver, though the warm dry conditions also reduce the nutritional value of the nut. The shell is most easily cracked with a metalworking bench vice, but care must be taken not to crush the kernel in the process.

Macadamia oil is prized for containing approximately 22% of the Omega-7 palmitoleic acid^*, which makes it a botanical alternative to mink oil, which contains approx. 17%. This relatively high content of "cushiony" palmitoleic acid plus macadamia's high oxidative stability make it a desirable ingredient in cosmetics, especially skincare.

Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs. Ingestion may result in Macadamia nut toxicosis, which is marked by weakness with the inability to stand within 12 hours of ingestion. Recovery is usually within 48 hours ^*.

The trees are also grown as ornamental plants in subtropical regions for their glossy foliage and attractive flowers.

External links

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• Flora of Australia: Macadamia
• Australian Plant Name Index: Macadamia
• Australia's most delicious bush nut

Bushfood | Proteales | Nuts and seeds | Flora of Australia

Macadamia | Makadamio | Noyer du Queensland | マカダミア | Macadâmia | Macadamia nut | Australianpähkinä | Macadamia