Burrawang nuts
Macrozamia miquelii
Family: Zamiaceae
What it is like
A medium sized cycad. The trunk is erect and 50 cm tall by 50 cm across. The young leaves are light green. There are many mature leaves. They are 0.5-1.8 m long and 30-40 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 10-50 cm long and swollen and woolly at the base. The leaflets have a sharp tip. The lower leaflets are reduced to spine like. The average leaflet is 17-28 cm long by 0.4-0.8 cm wide. They are dark green and shiny above and paler underneath. The cones are different. The male cones are 15-30 cm long by 4-6.5 cm wide. There are 1-5 on each plant and they are curved. The female cones are 20-35 cm long by 7-10 cm wide and barrel shaped. There are 1-2 on each plant. The seeds are 2-3 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide. They are orange to red.
There are about 25 Macrozamia species. It is endemic to Australia.
Where it is found
It grows naturally in SE Queensland and NSW in Australia. It suits tropical and subtropical climates. it suits areas with hot, humid, wet summers and dry cool winters. It needs well drained soils. It does best in light shade. It tolerates moderate frosts. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
The seed kernels need to be leached, pounded and cooked to remove poisons before eating.
Edible parts
Seeds kernel, nuts, caution
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed. Mature plants transplant easily.