Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Macadamia
Species: M. ternifolia
Scientific name: Macadamia ternifolia
Synonyms: Helicia ternifolia, Macadamia ternifolia var. typical, Macadamia lowii
Macadamia minor, Macadamia ternifolia var. ternifolia
Common name: Small-fruited Queensland Nut, Queensland nut, Bush nut, Maroochy Nut, Gympie Nut.
Macadamia ternifolia a species of macadamia tree that is native from the north of Brisbane to Gympie in SE Queensland. It is listed as vulnerable.
It grows up to 18m tall. It has tough, leathery, dark green leaves are in whorls of three. They have irregular spiny margins and the apex is mucronate (fine point).
The branchlets are brown with numerous raised lenticels (pores).
The flowers are on long pink racemes which develop from the leaf axils late winter/early spring. The nuts are small, smooth and are intensely bitter and poisonous, as the kernel is cyanogenic (generating cyanide).
The pink flowers on long racemes
