Macadamia nut plant

Neal (1965) describes the macadamia nut tree as a fast growing, regular-shaped, medium-sized tree with heavy, dark green foliage. Leaves develop in whorls of three, paired, or in fours. The leaves are rarely solitary. The leaves are blunt tipped, oblong, 1 foot in length or more, edged with fine teeth, and the petioles are about half an inch in length. The flowers are small, whitish, tasseled, and grow on long spikes. The nuts ripen in the fall, both the spring and fall, or through the year. The nut is encased in a leathery two valved case that is 1 inch in diameter. The case encloses one spherical nut or two hemispherical nuts. The nuts have a smooth hard shell that encases a white kernel.
The highest quality macadamia kernels are free of defects and insect and fungal damage, and they contain at least 72% oil. Kernels with less than 72% oil are usually immature and harder, and they become over brown when roasted.