Difference between revisions of "Macadamia"

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{{otheruses4|the nut|the band|Macadamia (band)}}
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{{SPlantbox
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|familia=Proteaceae
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|genus=Macadamia
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|common_name=Macadamia
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|habit=tree
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|Min ht metric=cm
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|origin=Australia
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|lifespan=perennial
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|exposure=sun
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|water=moist, moderate
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|features=evergreen, edible
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|Temp Metric=°F
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|image=Macadamia integrifolia.jpg
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|image_width=200
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|image_caption=Macadamia integrifolia foliage and nuts
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}}
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'''''Macadamia''''' is a [[genus]] of nine [[species]] of [[flowering plant]]s in the family [[Proteaceae]], with a [[disjunct distribution]] native to eastern [[Australia]] (seven species), [[New Caledonia]] (one species ''[http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/31009/all M. neurophylla]'') and [[Sulawesi]] in [[Indonesia]] (one species, ''M. hildebrandii'').
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They are small to large [[evergreen]] [[tree]]s growing to 2–12 m tall. The [[leaf|leaves]] are arranged in whorls of three to six, lanceolate to obovate or elliptical in [[Leaf shape|shape]], 6–30 cm long and 2–13 cm broad, with an entire or spiny-serrated margin. The [[flower]]s 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 [[tepal]]s. The [[fruit]] is a very hard woody globose [[Follicle (fruit)|follicle]] with a pointed apex, containing one or two [[seed]]s.
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The genus is named after [[John Macadam]], a colleague of [[botany|botanist]] [[Ferdinand von Mueller]], who first described the genus.<ref>Mueller, F.J.H. von (1857) Account of some New Australian Plants. Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria 2: 72
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Type: Macadamia ternifolia F.Muell.[http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?taxon_id=46142]</ref> Common names include '''Macadamia''', '''Macadamia nut''', '''Queensland nut''', '''Bush nut''', '''Maroochi nut''', '''Queen of Nuts''' and '''bauple nut'''; [[Indigenous Australians|Indigenous Australian]] names include '''gyndl''',  '''jindilli''', and '''boombera'''.
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{{Inc|
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Macadamia (after John Macadam, M.D., secretary Philosophical Institute, Victoria, Australia). Proteaceae?. A small group of Australian trees or tall shrubs, of which M. ternifolia is cultivated for its edible fruit, and is the best known.
  
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{{Taxobox
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Leaves verticillate, entire or serrate: fls. hermaphrodite, pedicellate in pairs or scattered, in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles; perianth regular or nearly so; stamens inserted a little below the blades, filaments short; ovary sessile, with a long straight style, ovoid or clavate at end, stigma small; ovules 2: fr. globular; seeds either solitary and globular or 2 and hemispherical; testa membranous.
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| color = lightgreen
 
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| name = ''Macadamia''
 
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| image = Macadamia integrifolia.jpg
 
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| image_width = 230px
 
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| image_caption = ''Macadamia integrifolia'' foliage and nuts
 
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| regnum = [[Plantae]]
 
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
 
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
 
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| ordo = [[Proteales]]
 
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| familia = [[Proteaceae]]
 
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| genus = '''''Macadamia'''''
 
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| genus_authority = [[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]
 
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| subdivision_ranks = Species
 
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| subdivision =
 
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''Macadamia claudiensis''<br/>
 
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''Macadamia grandis''<br/>
 
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''Macadamia hildebrandii''<br/>
 
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''Macadamia integrifolia''<br/>
 
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''Macadamia jansenii''<br/>
 
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''Macadamia ternifolia''<br/>
 
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''Macadamia tetraphylla''<br/>
 
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''Macadamia whelanii''
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''''Macadamia''''' is a [[genus]] of eight [[species]] of [[flowering plant]]s in the family [[Proteaceae]], with a [[disjunct distribution]] native to eastern [[Australia]] (seven species) and [[Indonesia]] [[Sulawesi]] (one species, ''M. hildebrandii'').
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==Cultivation==
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[[Image:MacFlowers.JPG|left|thumb|''Macadamia integrifolia'' flowers]]
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[[Image:Macadamia integrifolia, buds.jpg|left|thumb|''Macadamia integrifolia'' flowers]]
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They are small to large [[evergreen]] [[tree]]s growing to 6-40 m tall. The [[leaf|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 [[flower]]s 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 [[tepal]]s. The [[fruit]] is a very hard woody globose [[follicle]] with a pointed apex, containing one or two [[seed]]s.  
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The macadamia tree is usually propagated by [[grafting]], and 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. Macadamias prefer fertile, well-drained soils, a rainfall of 1,000–2,000 mm, and temperatures not falling below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts), 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.  
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The macadamia nut has an extremely hard shell, but can be cracked using a blunt instrument, such as a hammer or rock applied with some force to the nut sitting in a concave surface, or a custom made macadamia nutcracker can be used. Nuts of the "Arkin Papershell" variety crack open more readily.
  
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The genus is named after [[John Macadam]], who was a colleague of the [[botany|botanist]] [[Ferdinand von Mueller]] who first described the genus. Common names include '''Macadamia''', '''Macadamia nut''', '''Queensland nut''', '''Bush nut''', and '''Maroochi nut'''; [[Indigenous Australians|Indigenous Australian]] names include '''Kindal Kindal''' and '''Jindilli'''.<br clear = left>
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[[Image:Macadamia Beaumont.JPG|right|thumb|Macadamia Beaumont new growth]]
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===Cultivation and uses===
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==Cultivars==
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[[Image:MacNut2.JPG|left|thumb|Macadamia nut in its shell and a roasted nut]]
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===Beaumont===
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A ''M. integrifolia'' / ''M. tetraphylla'' hybrid commercial variety widely planted in Australia & New Zealand. Discovered by Dr. J. H. Beaumont.  It has a good taste, high in oil, but not sweet. New leaves reddish, flowers 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 prodigously when well pollinated. The impressive grape-like clusters of nuts are sometimes so heavy they break the branchlet they are attached to. In commercial orchards, it has reached 18 kg of nuts per tree by 8 years old! On the downside, the nuts don't drop from the tree when ripe, and the leaves are a bit prickly when you are reaching into the interior of the tree during harvest. Beaumonts' shell is easier than most commercial varieties to open.  
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[[Image:Macadamia Maroochy.JPG|right|thumb|Macadamia Maroochy new growth]]
  
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The [[nut (fruit)|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 [[glycoside|cyanogenic glycosides]]. These glycosides can be removed by prolonged leaching, a practice carried out by some [[Indigenous Australian]] people in order to use these species as well.
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===Maroochy===
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A pure ''M. tetraphylla'' variety from Australia, the tree is productive, and the small nut has a particularly good flavor. It is a good pollinator for Beaumont.
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===Nelmac II===
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A South African ''M. integrifolia'' / ''M. tetraphylla'' hybrid cultivar. It has a sweet nut, which means that it has to be cooked carefully so that the sugars do not caramelise. The sweet nut does not taste good when processed, but people who eat it uncooked relish the taste. The nut has an open micropyle (hole in the shell) which lets in mould. The crack out percentage is high. Ten year old trees average 22 kgs per tree. It is a popular variety because of its pollination of Beaumont, and the yields are almost comparable.
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===Renown===
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A ''M. integrifolia'' / ''M. tetraphylla'' hybrid. A rather spreading tree. On the plus side it is high yielding (commercially, 17 kgs off a 9 year old tree has been recorded), and the nuts drop to the ground, but the nut is thick shelled, and with not much flavor.
  
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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, Queensland|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.
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===Propagation===
  
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It's recorded that the first commercial orchard of Macadamia nut was planted in the 1880s by Mr Charles Staff at Rous Mill, 12 km south east of [[Lismore, New South Wales]], consisting of ''M.tetraphylla''.
 
  
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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. Macadamias prefer fertile, well-drained soils, a rainfall of 1000-2000 mm, and temperatures not falling below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts), 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]], [[ Bolivia]], [[New Zealand]], [[South Africa]] and [[Malawi]].
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===Pests and diseases===
  
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The Macadamia nut's kernel is extremely hard to mine out of its shell (it requires about 300 [[Pound-force per square inch|psi]]
 
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or 2000 [[Pascal (unit)|kPa]] to crack), 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 (tool)|vice]], but care must be taken not to crush the kernel in the process.  The nuts can be opened simply by locating the seam line on the shell (This seam line can be located by looking carefully at the shell) and placing a knife blade on the line and tapping with a hammer. The shell will open and allow the nut to be removed whole. A safer and quicker alternative is to use a Ratchet style PVC pipe cutter. Place the cutter blade on the seam line and ratchet it closed - the shell will split and allow the nut to be removed. When nuts have dried for a period of time the kernel will fall out (with green or fresh nuts the kernel may stick in the shell). The nuts can also be smashed open with a hammer or heavy solid kitchen tool. Boiling the nuts for a few minutes in a pot until the nuts rise to the surface is also a good way as it causes the nuts to crack. Nuts of the "Arkin Papershell" variety, cultivated by retired stockbroker [[Morris Arkin]], each have a blemish or small crack somewhere on the shell, and the shell will crack open readily if left for a few days, or if struck properly with a hammer.[http://www.echonet.org/eln&herbs/eln_catalog/fruittreesM.htm]
 
  
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[[Macadamia oil]] is prized for containing approximately 22% of the [[Omega-7]] [[palmitoleic acid]][http://www.bagkf.de/sofa/], 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.
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==Species==
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''[[Macadamia claudiensis]]''<br/>
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''[[Macadamia grandis]]''<br/>
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''[[Macadamia hildebrandii]]''<br/>
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''[[Macadamia integrifolia]]''<br/>
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''[[Macadamia jansenii]]''<br/>
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''[[Macadamia ternifolia]]''<br/>
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''[[Macadamia tetraphylla]]''<br/>
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''[[Macadamia whelanii]]''<br />
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''[[Macadamia neurophylla]]''
  
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Macadamia nuts are toxic to [[dog]]s. 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 [http://www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/toxbrief_0402.pdf?docID=115].
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==Gallery==
  
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The trees are also grown as [[ornamental plant]]s in subtropical regions for their glossy foliage and attractive flowers.
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<gallery perrow=5>
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Image:MacNut2.JPG|Macadamia nut in its shell and a roasted nut
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Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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Image:Upload.png| photo 2
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Image:Upload.png| photo 3
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</gallery>
  
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''Macadamia'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including ''[[Batrachedra|Batrachedra arenosella]]''.
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==References==
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<references/>
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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*[http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/online-resources/flora/stddisplay.xsql?pnid=2524 Flora of Australia: ''Macadamia'']
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*{{wplink}}
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*{{APNI | name = Macadamia F.Muell. | id = 46142}}
 
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* [http://sres.anu.edu.au/associated/fpt/nwfp/macanut/macanut.html Australia's most delicious bush nut]
 
  
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[[Category:Australian Aboriginal culture]]
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{{stub}}
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[[Category:Bushfood]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]]
 
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[[Category:Proteaceae]]
 
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[[Category:Proteales of Australia]]
 

Latest revision as of 19:20, 14 April 2011


Macadamia integrifolia foliage and nuts


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Origin: ✈ Australia
Cultivation
Exposure: ☼ sun
Water: ◍ moist, moderate
Features: ✓ evergreen, edible
Scientific Names

Proteaceae >

Macadamia >


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

They are small to large evergreen trees growing to 2–12 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, a colleague of botanist Ferdinand von Mueller, who first described the genus.[1] Common names include Macadamia, Macadamia nut, Queensland nut, Bush nut, Maroochi nut, Queen of Nuts and bauple nut; Indigenous Australian names include gyndl, jindilli, and boombera.


Read about Macadamia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Macadamia (after John Macadam, M.D., secretary Philosophical Institute, Victoria, Australia). Proteaceae?. A small group of Australian trees or tall shrubs, of which M. ternifolia is cultivated for its edible fruit, and is the best known.

Leaves verticillate, entire or serrate: fls. hermaphrodite, pedicellate in pairs or scattered, in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles; perianth regular or nearly so; stamens inserted a little below the blades, filaments short; ovary sessile, with a long straight style, ovoid or clavate at end, stigma small; ovules 2: fr. globular; seeds either solitary and globular or 2 and hemispherical; testa membranous.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Macadamia integrifolia flowers

The macadamia tree is usually propagated by grafting, and 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. Macadamias prefer fertile, well-drained soils, a rainfall of 1,000–2,000 mm, and temperatures not falling below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts), 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.

The macadamia nut has an extremely hard shell, but can be cracked using a blunt instrument, such as a hammer or rock applied with some force to the nut sitting in a concave surface, or a custom made macadamia nutcracker can be used. Nuts of the "Arkin Papershell" variety crack open more readily.

Macadamia Beaumont new growth

Cultivars

Beaumont

A M. integrifolia / M. tetraphylla hybrid commercial variety widely planted in Australia & New Zealand. Discovered by Dr. J. H. Beaumont. It has a good taste, high in oil, but not sweet. New leaves reddish, flowers 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 prodigously when well pollinated. The impressive grape-like clusters of nuts are sometimes so heavy they break the branchlet they are attached to. In commercial orchards, it has reached 18 kg of nuts per tree by 8 years old! On the downside, the nuts don't drop from the tree when ripe, and the leaves are a bit prickly when you are reaching into the interior of the tree during harvest. Beaumonts' shell is easier than most commercial varieties to open.

Macadamia Maroochy new growth

Maroochy

A pure M. tetraphylla variety from Australia, the tree is productive, and the small nut has a particularly good flavor. It is a good pollinator for Beaumont.

Nelmac II

A South African M. integrifolia / M. tetraphylla hybrid cultivar. It has a sweet nut, which means that it has to be cooked carefully so that the sugars do not caramelise. The sweet nut does not taste good when processed, but people who eat it uncooked relish the taste. The nut has an open micropyle (hole in the shell) which lets in mould. The crack out percentage is high. Ten year old trees average 22 kgs per tree. It is a popular variety because of its pollination of Beaumont, and the yields are almost comparable.

Renown

A M. integrifolia / M. tetraphylla hybrid. A rather spreading tree. On the plus side it is high yielding (commercially, 17 kgs off a 9 year old tree has been recorded), and the nuts drop to the ground, but the nut is thick shelled, and with not much flavor.

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Species

Macadamia claudiensis
Macadamia grandis
Macadamia hildebrandii
Macadamia integrifolia
Macadamia jansenii
Macadamia ternifolia
Macadamia tetraphylla
Macadamia whelanii
Macadamia neurophylla

Gallery

  • Macadamia nut in its shell and a roasted nut

  • photo 1

  • photo 2

  • photo 3

References

  1. ↑ Mueller, F.J.H. von (1857) Account of some New Australian Plants. Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria 2: 72 Type: Macadamia ternifolia F.Muell.[1]

External links


Retrieved from "http://gardenology.mywikis.net/w/index.php?title=Macadamia&oldid=132408"