Macadamia integrifolia

Macadamia integrifolia
	Macadamia integrifolia
Systematics
	Eudicotyledons
Order :	Silver tree-like (Proteales)
Family :	Silver tree family (Proteaceae)
Subfamily :	Grevilleoideae
Genre :	Macadamia
Type :	Macadamia integrifolia
Scientific name
	Macadamia integrifolia
	Maiden & Betche

Macadamia integrifolia is a species ofthe silver tree family (Proteaceae). They are small to medium-sized trees that originate from southeast Australia. It is known for its edible fruits, the macadamia nuts (also known as Queensland nuts).

description

Macadamia integrifolia grows as a tree and reaches a height of 6 to 18 m. The leaves stand in threes in whorls on the branches. The leathery, hairless leaf is oval to inverted-egg-shaped, the leaf margin is slightly wavy and sometimes serrated spiky. The tip of the leaf is variable: rounded, pointed or slightly retracted. On the upper side, the leaf blade is shiny green, the underside is lighter with a clearly protruding central rib. The leaves are 6.5 to 14 cm long and 2 to 6.5 cm wide. The petiole measures another 0.6 to 1.8 cm.

The inflorescence is an 8.5 to 25 cm long cluster of double flowers : two flowers are in the axilla of a bract . The cream-colored or pink-colored petals become 0.5 to 1 cm long. The inflorescence axis, petals and ovary are hairy. The fruit is round with a diameter of 2 to 4.5 cm, it surrounds the individual seeds with a leathery, 2 to 6 mm thick shell ( pericarp ) . The woody seed coat (testa) is 6 to 10 mm thick.

distribution

Macadamia integrifolia is native to a small area in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland . It grows there in rainforests.

use

From left: Green, closed fruit. Ripe, bursting fruit. Seeds with seed coat. Seeds without a seed coat.

The seeds of Macadamia integrifolia are edible and are commercially available as macadamia nuts. Macadamia integrifolia and hybrids with Macadamia tetraphylla are therefore also grown outside of their natural range.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c CL Large: Macadamia . In: Flora of Australia . tape 16 , 1995 ( gov.au ).
^ GJ Harden: Macadamia . In: Flora of New South Wales . ( gov.au ).
^ Huaxing Qiu, Peter H. Weston: Macadamia . In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China . tape 5 . Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis 2004, pp. 199 ( eFloras.org ).

Web links

Commons : Macadamia integrifolia - collection of images, videos and audio files

[FoAu-1] CL Large: Macadamia . In: Flora of Australia . tape 16 , 1995 ( gov.au ).

[NSWF-2] GJ Harden: Macadamia . In: Flora of New South Wales . ( gov.au ).

[FoC-3] Huaxing Qiu, Peter H. Weston: Macadamia . In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China . tape 5 . Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis 2004, pp. 199 ( eFloras.org ).