Macadamia nut - Macadamia spp. Taxonomy, cultivars Origin, history of cultivation Folklore, medicinal properties, non-food uses Production statistics Botanical description General culture Contribution to diet, food uses Go back to Mark's Fruit Crops homepage Taxonomy, cultivars.
Macadamia nuts belong to a relatively obscure family, the Proteaceae .
Macadamia integrifolia Maiden and Betche. M. tetraphylla L. Johnson. Origin, history of cultivation. The Hawaiian industry and tropical production is based on the former, whereas the small production in southern California is based on the latter. Nuts were brought to Hawaii and California in the late 1800's, but only the Hawaiians developed nut culture, whereas the Californians used it as an ornamental.