Macadamia Nut – Gourmet’s delight
Description and Botany The Macadamia nut tree belongs to the family Proteaceae. It is native to the coastal rain forest areas of Australia. Macadamia seeds were first imported into Hawaii in 1882 by William Purvis and macadamias have since become the most important tree crop in Hawaii. Total acres in macadamia production is 20,200 acres and Hawaii’s macadamia industry is valued at $ 175 million annually. Major production of macadamia is on the island of Hawaii (Big Island).
Edible nuts are from two species of the genus Macadamia: Macadamia integrifolia (smooth-shell type) and Macadamia tetraphylla (rough-shell type). The macadamia nut industry in Hawaii, Australia, and many other producing areas is based primarily on the smooth-shell type. Considerable research has gone into selection and breeding of the best cultivars for Hawaii. More than 100,000 seedlings have been screened to produce the 7 perfect cultivars grown in Hawaii.
Both species are attractive, evergreen trees, which with age can attain a height of 60 feet and a spread of 40 feet. They have shiny, green, holly-like foliage. The small, perfect, cream-colored flowers are borne in axillary racemes to 12 inches long consisting of several hundred flowers. Although there are a large number of flowers in each raceme, usually not more than about 10 nuts set and mature.
Productivity
In Hawaii, commercial orchards are planted with grafted seedlings. Macadamia nut trees can start bearing a small crop in the fifth year after planting, and full production is reached in 12 to 15 years. The trees require 60 – 120 inches of rainfall a year and can be grown from sea level to an elevation of 2500 feet.
Macadamia nuts are harvested manually after they have fallen. In Hawaii, the nuts typically drop 8 to 9 months of the year from May to December. The husk and the shell accounts for most of the macadamia nut’s weight. Husk is about 50 % of the whole nut. The average kernel recovery rate from "in-shell nuts" (without the husk) is about 25 to 35 %. That means the kernel is only 15 % of the whole macadamia nut.
Soil and Fertilization
Macadamias can be grown successfully on a variety of Hawaiian soils ranging from loose volcanic lava soils to well-drained, lateritic clays. Fertilization (3 to 4 times a year) is necessary for good production and growth.
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Hawaiian Grown Macadamia Nuts
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