Description:

A medium sized, broadleaf evergreen tree featuring oblong, glossy leaves with wavy margins; sweet and fragrant, white flowers cascade from the branches; woody, edible round fruit are produced in the late fall; drought tolerant once established

Edible Qualities

Macadamia Nut is a medium-sized tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces green round nuts in hard shells with creamy white flesh which are usually ready for picking from early to late fall. The nuts have an earthy taste.

The nuts are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared

Features & Attributes

Macadamia Nut features showy racemes of lightly-scented white flowers with shell pink overtones at the ends of the branches from early to late spring. It has green evergreen foliage. The glossy oval leaves remain green throughout the winter. It produces green nuts from early to late fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

This is an evergreen tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and may require the occasional pruning to look its best. It is a good choice for attracting birds and squirrels to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Macadamia Nut is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Shade
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Macadamia Nut will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This plant is typically grown in a designated edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.