English name: macadamia nut, Queensland nut, Australian bush nut, nut oak, bauple nut, popple nut
Scientific name:Macadamia integrifolia
Country of origin: Australia (southern Queensland, northern New South Wales)
Description
Evergreen tree height of 10-18 m with tree crown approximately 15 m in size. The leaves are oblong, have completely wavy edges, sharp apex, length of 10–28 cm, and grow around the branch ends. The laminae are leathery and grayish green and have a lustrous surface. 100-500 small amphoteric flowers are stretched into a long and narrow inflorescence with a length of 10–30 cm. It is mainly entomophilous flower pollinated by bees, and the main cultivars are mostly strongly self-incompatible. Fruition can be observed after 7–8 years. Fruition can be observed after three years in grafted ones. Mature ones can withstand light frost up to −6°C during a short period of time. It tends to grow in soil with good drainage, but it can be cultivated in a wide range of soils except for saline soil, lime soil, and impermeable heavy clay soil. It can also be cultivated in undernourished soil. It can be cultivated in areas with annual mean temperature of 15–25°C and annual precipitation of 700-3,000 mm. Propagation is performed by seeding or grafting.
In addition to containing 72% or more oil, the seed (kernel) contains 10% carbohydrate, 9.2% protein (low methionine content), and 0.7% minerals (mainly potassium, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin). In Hawaii, it has been planted as a windbreak forest since the 1880's.
References
Orwa, C., Mutua, A., Kindt, R., Jamnadass, R. and Simons, A. 2009. Agroforestree
Database: a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sites/treedbs/treedatabases.asp)
Wickens, G.E. 1995. Edible nuts. Non-wood forest products 5. Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations. Rome, Italy. (http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/v8929e/v8929e.pdf)
岩佐俊吉．1994．マカダミア属．塚本洋太郎（監修）．園芸植物大事典 2．pp. 2274-2275. 小学館、東京．
