Macadamia

Macadamia is a genus of four species of trees in- politician John Macadam.[4]

digenous to Australia and constituting part of the plant
family Proteaceae.[1][2] They are native to north east-
ern New South Wales and central and south eastern
Queensland. The tree is commercially important for
its fruit, the macadamia nuts /mkdemi/ (or sim-
ply macadamia). Other names include Queensland
nut, bush nut, maroochi nut, bauple nut, and Hawaii
nut.[3] In Australian Aboriginal languages, the fruit
is known by names such as bauple, gyndl, jindilli,[3]
and boombera. Previously, more species with disjunct
distributions were named as members of this genus
Macadamia.[2] Genetics and morphological studies more
recently published in 2008 show they have separated
from the genus Macadamia, correlating less closely
than thought from earlier morphological studies.[2] The
Fresh macadamia nut with husk or pericarp cut in half
species previously named in the Macadamia genus may
still be referred to overall by the descriptive, non-
scientic name of macadamia; their disjunct distributions
and current scientic names are:

New Caledonia endemic genus Virotia in 1975 hav-

ing only the type species, then by 2008 all six en-
demic species

North eastern Queensland, Australian endemic

genus and species Catalepidia heyana in 1995

North eastern Queensland and Cape York Peninsula,

Australia, three endemic species of Lasjia in 2008;
in Australia still informally described as northern
macadamias
Macadamia nut in its shell and a roasted nut
Sulawesi (Indonesia) two endemic species of Lasjia
in 2008, based on the 1952 name M. hildebrandii
and the 1995 name M. erecta
1 History
Macadamia is an evergreen species that grows 212 m
(740 ft) tall. The leaves are arranged in whorls of three 1828 Allan Cunningham was the rst European to dis-
to six, lanceolate to obovate or elliptic in shape, 630 cm cover the macadamia plant.
(210 in) long and 313 cm (15 in) broad, with an entire
or spiny-serrated margin. The owers are produced in a 1857 German-Australian botanist Ferdinand von
long, slender, simple raceme 530 cm (210 in) long, the Mueller gave the genus the scientic name
individual owers 1015 mm (0.40.6 in) long, white to Macadamia named after von Muellers friend Dr.
pink or purple, with four tepals. The fruit is a very hard, John Macadam, a noted scientist and secretary to
woody, globose follicle with a pointed apex, containing the Philosophical Institute of Australia.
one or two seeds. 1858 Walter Hill, Superintendent of the Brisbane
The GermanAustralian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller Botanic Gardens (Australia), observed a boy eating
gave the genus the name Macadamia in 1857 in honor the kernel without ill eect, becoming the rst non-
of the Scottish-Australian chemist, medical teacher and indigenous person recorded to eat macadamia nuts.

1
2 2 SPECIES
1860s King Jacky, aboriginal elder of the Logan River
clan, south of Brisbane, Queensland, was the rst
known macadamia entrepreneur, as he and his tribe
regularly collected and traded the macadamias with
settlers.[5]
1866 Tom Petrie plants macadamias at Yebri Creek
(near Petrie) from nuts obtained from Aboriginals at
Buderim (Nut Growing Experiments The Queens-
lander Thursday 8 October 1931 p.13)
1881 William H. Purvis introduced macadamia nuts to
Hawaii as a windbreak for sugar cane.
1882 The rst commercial orchard of macadamia was
planted at Rous Mill, 12 km from Lismore, by
Charles Sta.
1889 Joseph Maiden, Australian botanist, wrote, It is
well worth extensive cultivation, for the nuts are al-
ways eagerly bought.[6]
1910 The Hawaiian Agricultural Experiment Station en-
couraged planting of macadamias on Hawaiis Kona
District, as a crop to supplement coee production
in the region.[7]
1916 Tom Petrie begins trial macadamia plantations in
Maryborough district, combining with pecans to
shelter the trees (Nut Growing Experiments The
Queenslander Thursday 8 October 1931 p.13)
1922 Ernst Van Tassel formed the Hawaiian Macadamia
Nut Co in Hawaii.
1925 Tassel leased 75 acres (300,000 m2 ) on Round Top Catalepidia P.H.Weston, formerly Macadamia until 1995
in Honolulu (Nut Ridge) and begins a macadamia
nut orchard, Hawaiis rst macadamia seed farm.
1931 Ernest Van Tassel established a macadamia pro-
cessing factory on Puhukaina Street in Kakaako;
nuts were sold as Vans macadamia nuts.
1937 W. W. Jones and J. H. Beaumont reported, in Sci- Virotia L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs, formerly
ence, the rst successful grafting of macadamia Macadamia until the rst species renaming be-
that paved the way for mass production. gan in 1975 and comprehensive in 2008
1940s Steve Angus, Murwillumbah, Australia, formed
Macadamia Nuts Pty Ltd, doing small-scale nut pro-
cessing.
1946 A large plantation was established in Hawaii.[8][9]
1953 Castle & Cooke added a new brand of macadamia
nuts called Royal Hawaiian, which was credited
with popularising the nuts in the U.S.
1997 Australia surpassed the United States as the major
producer of macadamias.[7]
2012-15 South Africa surpassed Australia as the largest
producer of macadamias.[10][11]
2 Species
Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche
Macadamia jansenii C.L.Gross & P.H.Weston
Macadamia ternifolia F.Muell.
Macadamia tetraphylla L.A.S.Johnson
Formerly included in the genus
Lasjia P.H.Weston & A.R.Mast, formerly Macadamia until 2008
Lasjia claudiensis (C.L.Gross & B.Hyland) P.H.Weston
& A.R.Mast; synonym, base name: Macadamia clau-
diensis C.L.Gross & B.Hyland
Lasjia erecta (J.A.McDonald & R.Ismail) P.H.Weston &
A.R.Mast; synonym, base name: Macadamia erecta
J.A.McDonald & R.Ismail
Lasjia grandis (C.L.Gross & B.Hyland) P.H.Weston &
A.R.Mast; synonym, base name: Macadamia grandis
C.L.Gross & B.Hyland
Lasjia hildebrandii (Steenis) P.H.Weston & A.R.Mast;
synonym, base name: Macadamia hildebrandii Stee-
nis
Lasjia whelanii (F.M.Bailey) P.H.Weston & A.R.Mast;
synonyms: base name: Helicia whelanii F.M.Bailey,
Macadamia whelanii (F.M.Bailey) F.M.Bailey
Catalepidia heyana (F.M.Bailey) P.H.Weston; syn-
onyms: base name: Helicia heyana F.M.Bailey ,
Macadamia heyana (F.M.Bailey) Sleumer
Virotia angustifolia (Virot) P.H.Weston & A.R.Mast;
synonym, base name: Macadamia angustifolia Virot
Virotia francii (Guillaumin) P.H.Weston & A.R.Mast;
synonym, base name: Roupala francii Guillaumin
Virotia leptophylla (Guillaumin) L.A.S.Johnson &
B.G.Briggs (1975 type species); synonym, base
name: Kermadecia leptophylla Guillaumin
Virotia neurophylla (Guillaumin) P.H.Weston &
A.R.Mast; synonyms: base name: Kermadecia
neurophylla Guillaumin, Macadamia neurophylla
(Guillaumin) Virot
 3

Virotia rousselii (Vieill.) P.H.Weston & A.R.Mast; syn- 4 Cultivars

onym, base name: Roupala rousselii Vieill
Virotia vieillardi (Brongn. & Gris) P.H.Weston &
A.R.Mast; synonym, base name: Roupala vieillardii A Macadamia integrifolia / M. tetraphylla hybrid com-
Brongn. & Gris
3 Cultivation
4.1 Beaumont
mercial variety is widely planted in Australia and New
Zealand; it was discovered by Dr. J. H. Beaumont. It is
high in oil, but is not sweet. New leaves are reddish, ow-
ers are bright pink, borne on long racemes. It is one of
the quickest varieties to come into bearing once planted
in the garden, usually carrying a useful crop by the fourth
year, and improving from then on. It crops prodigiously
when well pollinated. The impressive, grape-like clusters
are sometimes so heavy they break the branchlet to which
they are attached. In commercial orchards, it has reached
18 kg (40 lb) per tree by eight years old. On the downside,
the macadamias do not drop from the tree when ripe, and
the leaves are a bit prickly when one reaches into the in-
terior of the tree during harvest. Its shell is easier to open
than that of most commercial varieties.

Macadamia integrifolia owers

The macadamia tree is usually propagated by grafting,

and does not begin to produce commercial quantities of
seeds until it is 710 years old, but once established, may
continue bearing for over 100 years. Macadamias pre-
fer fertile, well-drained soils, a rainfall of 1,0002,000
mm (4080 in), and temperatures not falling below 10
C (50 F) (although once established, they can withstand
light frosts), with an optimum temperature of 25 C (80
F). The roots are shallow and trees can be blown down
in storms; they are also susceptible to Phytophthora root Macadamia 'Maroochy' new growth
disease.

4.2 Maroochy

A pure M. tetraphylla variety from Australia, this strain

is cultivated for its productive crop yield, avor, and suit-
ability for pollinating 'Beaumont'.

4.3 Nelmac II

A South African M. integrifolia / M. tetraphylla hybrid

Macadamia 'Beaumont' new growth
cultivar, it has a sweet seed, which means it has to be
cooked carefully so that the sugars do not caramelise. The
sweet seed is usually not fully processed, as it generally
doesn't taste as good, but many people enjoy eating it un-
cooked. It has an open micropyle (hole in the shell) which
may let in mould. The crack-out percentage is high. Ten-
year-old trees average 22 kg (50 lb) per tree. It is a pop-
4 8 REFERENCES

ular variety because of its pollination of 'Beaumont', and a high amount of monounsaturated fats (59% of total
the yields are almost comparable. content, table) and contain, as 17% of total fat, the
monounsaturated fat, omega-7 palmitoleic acid.[15]

4.4 Renown
6.1 Toxicity in dogs
A M. integrifolia / M. tetraphylla hybrid, this is a rather
spreading tree. On the plus side, it is high yielding Macadamias are toxic to dogs. Ingestion may result in
commercially, 17 kg (37 lb) from a 9-year-old tree has macadamia toxicity marked by weakness and hind limb
been recordedand the nuts drop to the ground. How- paralysis with the inability to stand, occurring within 12
ever they are thick-shelled, with not much avor. hours of ingestion.[16] Depending on the quantity ingested
and size of the dog, symptoms may also include muscle
tremors, joint pain and severe abdominal pain. In high
5 Production doses of toxin, opiate medication may be required for
symptom relief until the toxic eects diminish, with full
recovery usually within 24 to 48 hours.[16]
In 2015, South Africa was the worlds leading producer
of macadamia nuts with 48,000 tonnes (53,000 short
tons) compared to Australias 40,000 tonnes and the to-
tal global production of 160,000 tonnes (180,000 short 7 Other uses
tons).[11] Macadamia is also commercially produced in
Brazil, California, Costa Rica, Israel, Kenya, Bolivia, The trees are also grown as ornamental plants in sub-
New Zealand, Colombia, Guatemala and Malawi. tropical regions for their glossy foliage and attractive
owers. Macadamia species are used as food plants
The rst commercial orchard of macadamia trees was
by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including
planted in the early 1880s by Rous Mill, 12 km (7.5
Batrachedra arenosella.
mi) southeast of Lismore, New South Wales, consist-
ing of M. tetraphylla.[12] Besides the development of Macadamia seeds are often fed to hyacinth macaws in
a small boutique industry in Australia during the late captivity. These large parrots are one of the few animals,
19th and early 20th centuries, macadamia was extensively aside from humans, capable of cracking the shell and re-
planted as a commercial crop in Hawaii from the 1920s. moving the seed.[17]
Macadamia seeds were rst imported into Hawaii in 1882
by William H. Purvis, who planted seeds that year at
Kapulena.[13] The Hawaiian-produced macadamia estab- 8 References
lished the well-known seed internationally. However, in
2006, macadamia production began to fall in Hawaii, due
[1] "Macadamia%". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI),
to lower prices from an over-supply.[14] Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS) database
(listing by % wildcard matching of all taxa relevant to Aus-
tralia). Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian
6 Food and nutrition Government. Retrieved 26 Apr 2013.

The seeds (nuts) are a valuable food crop. Only three of
the species, Macadamia integrifolia, Macadamia ternifo-
lia, and Macadamia tetraphylla are of commercial im-
portance. The remainder of the genus (M. jansenii)
possesses poisonous and/or inedible seeds resulting from
cyanogenic glycosides.
In a 100 gram amount, macadamia nuts provide 740
Calories and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily
Value, DV) of numerous essential nutrients, including
thiamin (104% DV), vitamin B6 (21% DV), manganese
(195% DV), iron (28% DV), magnesium (37% DV) and
phosphorus (27% DV) (table). Macadamia nuts are 76%
fat, 14% carbohydrates, including 9% dietary ber, and
8% protein (table).
Compared with other common edible nuts, such as
almonds and cashews, macadamias are high in total
fat and relatively low in protein (table). They have
[2] Mast, Austin R.; Willis, Crystal L.; Jones, Eric H.; Downs,
Katherine M.; Weston, Peter H. (July 2008). A smaller
Macadamia from a more vagile tribe: inference of phylo-
genetic relationships, divergence times, and diaspore evo-
lution in Macadamia and relatives (tribe Macadamieae;
Proteaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 95 (7): 843
870. doi:10.3732/ajb.0700006. ISSN 1537-2197. PMID
21632410. Retrieved 4 Apr 2013.
[3] The Bopple Nut
[4] Mueller, F.J.H. von (1857) Account of some New Aus-
tralian Plants. Transactions of the Philosophical Institute
of Victoria 2: 72 Type: Macadamia ternifolia F.Muell.
[5] McConachie, Ian (1980). The Macadamia Story (PDF).
California Macadamia Society Yearbook. 26: 4147. Re-
trieved 11 Jan 2014.
[6] Maiden, J. H., The Useful Native Plants of Australia, 1889,
p40
 5

[7] Rieger, M., Introduction to Fruit Crops, 2006, p. 260.

ISBN 978-1-56022-259-0

[8] Sandra Wagner-Wright (1995). History of the macadamia

nut industry in Hawai'i, 18811981. E. Mellen Press.
ISBN 978-0-7734-9097-0.

[9] Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Packaging

[10] Cracking good run for macadamia industry. Farmers

Weekly. Retrieved June 8, 2015.

[11] South Africa becomes king of macadamia nuts again.

FreshPlaza. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2016.

[12] Macadamia Power Pty (1982). Macadamia Power in a

Nutshell. Macadamia Power Pty Limited. p. 13. ISBN
978-0-9592892-0-6.

[13] Schmitt, Robert. Macadamia Nuts. Hawaiian Historical

Society. Retrieved April 7, 2012.

[14] Hawaii Macadamia Nuts: Final Season Estimates

(PDF). Hawaii Department of Agriculture. July 13, 2007.
Retrieved April 7, 2012.

[15] Macadamia nuts, raw, per 100 g. Conde Nast for the
USDA National Nutrient Database, release SR 21. 2014.
Retrieved 14 January 2016.

[16] Christine Allen (October 2001). Treacherous Treats

Macadamia Nuts (PDF). Veterinary Technician. Re-
trieved January 15, 2014.

[17] Kashmir Csaky (November 2001). The Hyacinth

Macaw. Parrots Magazine. Retrieved December 6,
2010.

9 External links
Macadamia F.Muell.. Australian Plant Name In-
dex (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodi-
versity Research, Australian Government.
6 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text
Macadamia Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macadamia?oldid=760935038 Contributors: Kowloonese, Stan Shebs, Angela, Julesd,
Tristanb, CyberMaus, Robbot, Smallweed, JackofOz, DocWatson42, MPF, DaB., OldakQuill, PDH, Avihu, Arminius, Ma'ame Michu,
Rich Farmbrough, Pavel Vozenilek, Kbh3rd, CanisRufus, Femto, Peter Greenwell, Smalljim, Zetawoof, Hesperian, Jjron, Abstrac-
tion~enwiki, Kurt Shaped Box, Hohum, Mikeo, Gene Nygaard, Yurivict, Stemonitis, Angr, Richard Barlow, SDC, Graham87, Pmj, Josh
Parris, Rjwilmsi, Angusmclellan, Cassowary, Eubot, Lemmikkipuu, Valentinian, DaGizza, Gdrbot, WriterHound, YurikBot, Wavelength,
Hairy Dude, Sachmet, Hydrargyrum, Gaius Cornelius, Kerry Raymond, NawlinWiki, Eudoxie, Rmky87, Bigrich, Nlu, Wknight94, Seier,
Borisbaran, Rons22, SmackBot, Istvan, Kintetsubualo, Edgar181, Brianski, Ohnoitsjamie, Hmains, Persian Poet Gal, Melburnian, Octa-
hedron80, Booshank, T-borg, Ozfreediver, Zzorse, WoodyWerm, Kahuroa, BlackTerror, Clare., JohnCub, Dumarest, Syrcatbot, The Man
in Question, DiggyG, Magere Hein, Tauolunga, Lahiru k, Dia^, Snorkelman, NTDOY Fanboy, Macropneuma, Pingku, Casliber, Thijs!bot,
TonyTheTiger, Marek69, Oosh, Escarbot, LachlanA, Beneaththestorm, Mr Bungle, Gioto, Vic226, Nipisiquit, John Moss, Barek, Btrau-
man, VoABot II, JNW, Indon, TigerBeats, Johnbibby, Ragimiri, Mkdw, BrokenSphere, Jonnylinuxnerd, 3budas, NewEnglandYankee,
Uhai, Nooly, Jefe2000, X!, DagnyB, Philip Trueman, Una Smith, Maggie333, Impasse, SieBot, Cannonconsult, Revent, GILDog, Mccle-
laj, Akldawgs, Escape Orbit, ClueBot, Snigbrook, Turbofester, Yoshi Canopus, Nz aj, Fenwayguy, Blanchardb, Auntof6, NuclearWarfare,
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sebot, Alexlange, Atomic Sunrise, Left Noise, GrouchoBot, Zefr, Zephanyah, Mjt78, W Nowicki, BoundaryRider, SuperJew, MastiBot,
Kibi78704, Tim1357, , TobeBot, Gulbenk, Michael Jester, Mean as custard, RjwilmsiBot, MMS2013, Caviarmilk,
EmausBot, Ashton 29, RedHab, GoingBatty, Slightsmile, Tommy2010, Kmoksy, Suan du, , Erianna, Ocdncntx, Anglais1,
AndyTheGrump, ClueBot NG, Ikur21, Gerekler, Widr, Reify-tech, Elizabethdmy, Helpful Pixie Bot, Calabe1992, Mark Marathon,
BG19bot, Kyba274, John Cummings, Blake Burba, Northamerica1000, Jmasiulewicz, Gpanzer, BALYNC01, Ricordisamoa, Eltonlevi,
TylerDurden8823, Ekren, Macnut Man, TimeandPlace, Death76, Andrea Speaks, ArmbrustBot, Kingofaces43, Rekowo, Cboning, Mary-
MaryMe, Skr15081997, Monkbot, Thegangnamwalrus, MorePix, , Sangdeboeuf, NotOctavio, Heaviside glow, Anthony Ki-
ragu, Kurousagi, SpringbokSam, Mybaobei, Bender the Bot and Anonymous: 219

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