Collection: Macadamia

The macadamia tree is an evergreen nut tree from the rainforests of eastern Australia, grown for the rich, buttery macadamia nut. Everglades Farm grows its macadamia trees in Homestead, Florida and ships them in their nursery pots. This collection has the Beaumont hybrid, the H-10 and Queen Anne selections, and a seedling macadamia nut tree.

Macadamia Trees for Sale and Availability for Purchase

Each macadamia tree in this collection is sold by size and pot. The product page shows which sizes are available to purchase today.

• Beaumont macadamia nut tree. A high yield hybrid of Macadamia integrifolia and Macadamia tetraphylla with pink flowers and red new leaves. It is in stock today as a 2 to 3 foot tree in a 3-gallon pot.
• Macadamia H-10 tree. A named selection grown from cuttings in a 3-gallon pot, so it carries the nut quality of its parent tree.
• Macadamia Queen Anne tree. A smooth shell Macadamia integrifolia selection, also grown from cuttings, offered from an 18 to 24 inch tree in a 1-gallon pot up to a 4 foot tree in a 3-gallon pot.
• Macadamia nut tree. A seedling macadamia tree sold at 4 feet in a 3-gallon pot.

Grafted or cutting grown macadamia trees versus seedlings

A macadamia tree grown from a cutting or a graft is a copy of a proven parent, and it usually starts bearing nuts in about 4 to 5 years. A seedling macadamia nut tree is grown from a nut. It takes about 7 years or more to bear, and its nuts can differ from the parent tree.

Macadamia Tree Plant Characteristics

The macadamia tree, Macadamia integrifolia, is an evergreen tree in the protea family, Proteaceae. It is native to the subtropical rainforests of southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales in Australia, which is why the macadamia nut is sometimes called the Queensland nut or Australian nut.

Macadamia integrifolia, the smooth shelled variety

Macadamia integrifolia is the smooth shelled variety grown for most of the world's macadamia nuts. It is the macadamia nut tree of commercial orchards in Australia and Hawaii, and the species behind most named selections.

Growth habit

Macadamia integrifolia grows as an upright evergreen tree with a single trunk and a dense, rounded crown. The trunk grows smooth brown bark, and the branches stay close together, so the canopy casts deep shade.

Foliage

The leaves of Macadamia integrifolia are long, stiff and leathery, with mostly smooth edges and a glossy dark green top. They grow in groups of three around the stem, and new leaves come out light green.

Flowers

In late winter and spring the macadamia tree hangs long, narrow chains of small creamy white flowers along the branches, and the flowers have a light, sweet scent.

Macadamia tetraphylla and hybrid macadamia trees

Macadamia tetraphylla is the rough shelled macadamia. Its leaves have spiny edges, its new growth is red or bronze and its flowers are pink. Hybrids of the two species, like the Beaumont macadamia tree, combine the heavy cropping of integrifolia with the pink flowers and extra vigor of tetraphylla.

Macadamia Nut Production

The macadamia nut is the reason most people plant a macadamia tree. Macadamia nut production starts with the flower chains, and only a few flowers on each chain set nuts.

From flower to ripe macadamia nuts

The nuts take about 6 to 7 months to mature after flowering. In Florida, most macadamia nuts ripen between August and November.

Outer husks, brown shell and white nut

Each macadamia nut grows inside a round green outer husk. When the nut is ripe, the husk dries and splits open to show a hard, smooth brown shell. Inside the brown shell is the white nut, the creamy kernel that is eaten raw or roasted.

Flavor and monounsaturated fat

Macadamia nuts taste rich and buttery because a ripe kernel is more than 70 percent oil. Roughly three quarters of that fat is monounsaturated fat, the same kind of fat found in olive oil. The nuts are eaten raw, roasted and salted, baked into cookies and pressed for cooking oil.

Harvesting macadamia nuts

Ripe macadamia nuts fall from the tree on their own. Do not shake the tree. Pick up the nuts every few days so squirrels and rats do not get them first, remove any husks that have not split, and let the nuts dry in the shade for a few weeks before cracking the shell. The shell is very hard, so a nut cracker made for macadamia nuts makes the job easier.

Macadamia Tree Size and Growth Rate

A macadamia tree is a long lived tree, so plan for its full size when you choose where to plant it.

Mature macadamia tree size

In the ground, an unpruned macadamia tree can grow 20 to 30 feet tall with a spread almost as wide. In the forests of Australia, wild trees grow taller still. Light pruning of the top keeps a home macadamia tree near 12 to 15 feet, which makes the nuts easier to reach and the tree easier to protect from cold.

Macadamia tree growth rate

A young macadamia tree has a moderate growth rate and fills out steadily once its roots are established. Hybrids like Beaumont grow faster than most integrifolia selections. Nut production starts small and builds every year as the tree grows.

Macadamia Tree Growing Requirements

The macadamia nut tree grows best in warm, frost free climates with steady moisture. It is a good match for South and Central Florida.

Climate and tropical zones

Macadamia trees grow outdoors in USDA zones 9 to 11, in tropical zones and in warm subtropical gardens. Young trees need protection when the temperature drops to freezing. Established trees handle short dips into the mid 20s Fahrenheit, and the Beaumont hybrid is one of the more cold tolerant macadamia trees. Cold wind does more damage than cold alone, so a spot sheltered from winter wind helps.

Sunlight

Plant a macadamia tree in full sun, with at least six hours of direct sun a day. Trees in shade grow slowly and set fewer nuts.

Soil

Macadamia trees need deep, well drained soil. They prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH of about 5.0 to 6.5 and do poorly in heavy clay or soggy ground.

Water

A macadamia tree needs steady moisture, about 50 inches of rain or irrigation a year. Water deeply and let the top of the soil dry a little before watering again.

Fertilizer and phosphorus sensitivity

Like other members of the protea family, the macadamia tree grows dense clusters of fine roots that pull phosphorus from poor soil very well. Because of this phosphorus sensitivity, too much phosphorus can yellow the leaves and slow the tree down. Choose a low phosphorus or phosphorus free fertilizer, especially for a macadamia tree in a pot.

Macadamia Tree Container and Indoor Growing

You can grow a macadamia tree in a large pot, which lets gardeners outside the tropical zones grow one and move it to shelter in winter.

Choosing a large pot

Start your macadamia tree in a pot a size or two larger than its nursery pot, and move it up as it grows. A mature container macadamia tree needs a large pot of 15 to 25 gallons with several drainage holes.

Potting mix and drainage

Use a light, well drained potting mix, not heavy garden soil. Water deeply until water runs out the bottom and let the top inch dry before the next watering. Feed with a phosphorus free fertilizer.

Growing a macadamia tree indoors in winter

Keep a potted macadamia tree outside in full sun for most of the year. When frost is coming, move it into a garage, greenhouse or bright room, and bring it back outside when the weather warms up. A container macadamia tree usually sets fewer nuts than a tree in the ground, but it can still bear once it is big enough.

Macadamia Tree Care and Maintenance

A macadamia tree needs little care once it is established. These are the main steps for keeping a macadamia tree healthy.

Planting a macadamia tree

Plant in late spring or early summer, after any chance of frost. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep, mix compost into the soil and set the tree so the top of the root ball sits level with the ground. Water it in well and leave 20 to 25 feet between trees in the ground.

Mulch

Spread a layer of mulch around the macadamia tree to hold moisture and keep weeds down. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk.

Fertilizing a macadamia tree

Feed a macadamia tree with a low phosphorus fertilizer in early spring and again in late summer. Give young trees small amounts and avoid heavy nitrogen, which pushes leaves instead of nuts.

Pruning

Prune a young macadamia tree to a strong central trunk with well spaced branches. After that, remove dead, crossing or crowded branches and head back the top if you want to keep the tree small.

Pollination

Bees pollinate the macadamia tree. Many macadamia trees set more nuts when another variety grows nearby, so planting two different macadamia trees helps the crop.

Pests and problems

Watch for scale insects and for rats and squirrels at harvest time. Yellow leaves usually point to soggy soil or too much phosphorus. For more macadamia tree care, read our guide on how to grow a thriving macadamia tree, or browse more tropical trees for your garden.