Macadamia Nut Tree
| 1.7 Tree Friend Data Sheet Macadamia Nut Tree | |
| Latin Name of tree | M. tetraphylla Macadamia (Genus) tetraphylla (Species) |
| Latin name of tree family | Proteaceae
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| Country/Area of origin | Subtropical east coast of Australia North Eastern NSW; Central and South Eastern QLD |
| Annual rainfall in area of origin | 1,000–2,000 mm
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| Average life of tree | Over 100 years |
| Years until first fruit | 7-10 years |
| Season when fruits | Autumn/Winter (March to July) 185 days from fruit set to maturity |
| Expected/average number of years expected to fruit | Indefinite Production of fruit increases annually from approximately 7 years until 15 years; production remains steady after 15 years. 42 years in commercial production |
| Height at maturity | Medium sized tree up to 20metres |
| Width at maturity | Up to 20metre crown width |
| Diameter of trunk | 0.3metres |
| Shape at maturity | Round |
| Arbour (foliage) | Dark green whorls of three or four; oblong; up to 20cm long; 3-13cm broad; toothed. Purplish-pink flowers in pendulous sprays to 20cm occur in Spring. |
| Challenges/special requirements | Pests & Diseases: Rats, particularly Rattus Rattus or Black rat, are fond of the nut. Flower & leaf eating Caterpillars. Trichogramma wasps can be used for Macadamia Nutborer control Needs well drained, rich, composted soil and ample moisture. |
| Other (products, benefits, uses, facts) | Products/Uses: – Fruit itself; Oil; Macadamia milk; Macadamia nut butter; Wood; Gifts & cooking (e.g. chocolate covered; biscuits etc); Shells can be burned as a wood substitute when roasting coffee; Low quality kernels can be used as animal feed; Husks can be ground to produce organic waste for gardening, for mulch and for chicken litter. – Don’t pick the nuts from the tree; they fall to the ground of their own accord when they are ripe. – Kindal Kindal is the name given to the tree by Aboriginal Australians. – Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs – Handsome, ornamental tree. |
| References: https://www.organicgardener.com.au/articles/get-cracking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macadamia https://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/nsw/summary.shtml https://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/photo https://www.australian-macadamias.org/consumer/educational https://era.daf.qld.gov.au/1964/4/mac-growing_guide_Part4.pdf Wrigley, J.W. & Fagg, M. (2001) Australian Native Plants: Propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (4th Ed). Sydney, Australia: Reed New Holland Australia Pty Ltd. 
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