Macadamia integrifolia

Common name: Macadamia, macadamia nut tree

Description:

The macadamia nut tree ( Macadamia integrifolia ) is a medium-sized tree belonging to the Protaceae Family. It can reach 2-5 meters in height.

Its perennial foliage is made up of entire leaves with toothed margins up to 12 cm long, they are dark green with a certain sheen.

The flowers are white or creamy white, when they are pollinated they develop a woody fruit of 2-3.5 cm in diameter that is called the macadamia nut and is very popular for its culinary and condiment uses. This woody nut is dark brown, similar to chestnuts.

Culture:

The macadamia tree lives in humid areas in its natural state. For this reason, it is a species that has high irrigation requirements, maintaining constant humidity but not suffocating the roots, for this we must ensure good drainage that, in addition, allows oxygenation of the roots, we must bear in mind that this tree can tolerate some drought.

For this reason it is a tree that grows best in neutral or acid soils, as well as the ability to grow in clay or clay loam soils. For this reason, if we are going to grow it, we will have to make some amendment to have the appropriate pH levels so that the macadamia can develop. In addition, the soils must be deep and with a high content of organic matter.

The macadamia is a slow-growing tree, not bearing fruit until at least 5 or 6 years have passed. It is a tree that can tolerate the cold up to a certain point, if the frosts are constant and the specimen is young, it may not bear it. It is also sensitive to high temperatures, so in episodes of summer heat stroke it can affect the macadamia tree.

It does not require extensive pruning beyond the initial formation pruning, which is very important to establish a good crown structure since the macadamia is a tree whose branches break easily and the tree must be oriented correctly so that it the wind and climatic incidents do not affect its branches.

Multiplication:

Macadamia is very easy to propagate through the seeds that, collected in the fall, can be soaked for 24-48 hours and then planted in a pot until the seedling develops.

Macadamia is generally sold grafted, in relatively developed specimens, which are stronger and have a greater capacity to take root in a new location.

Applications:

This tree is mainly used to produce the macadamia nut, appreciated for its culinary and seasoning properties.