Macadamia named "Hidden Valley A4"
A new variety of Macadamia hybrid Integrifolia.times.tetraphylla has been identified that is particularly characterized by its high number of serrations per unit length on its leaf edge and a ratio of 1:1 between 3-leaf and 4-leaf whorls.
The present invention is directed to a new and distinct variety of Macadamia tree believed to be a cross of Macadamia integrifolia.times.tetraphylla which was identified in a cultivated area.
Among the distinct characteristics of this tree is a combination of an increase in leaf serrations per unit distance and a ratio of 1:1 between 3-leaf and 4-leaf whorls as sampled over a sample of a minimum 100 specimens.
Asexual reproduction of the new variety has been accomplished by grafting scion stock taken from the original seedling plant onto both seedling and mature rootstock of various other Macadamia varieties. The variety has maintained character regardless of rootstock, and exhibitied the following characteristics and distinctions true to form through succeeding propagations.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGSFIG. 1 shows a typical tree specimen of the new variety, named "Hidden Valley A4".
FIG. 2 shows typical nut clusters of the new variety.
FIG. 3 shows a comparison of the leaves of the new variety with those of the known variety `HAES 246`.
FIG. 4 shows a comparison of the kernel and nut of the new variety with the kernal and nut of the known variety `HAES 246`.
FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the kernel and nut of the new variety.
The variety results from a seedling derived from the open pollination of a female parent of the variety Renown, itself a hybrid of M. integrifolia.times.M. tetraphylla. The seedling may have arisen from self-pollination or from cross-pollination with the nearest possible pollinators being of the varieties Own Choice, Keauhou, Kakea and N.R.G. Based on morphological comparison, the most likely pollen parent is Own Choice. The cultivar has been successfully and successively grafted onto a variety of rootstock yielding trees of consistent character and having good yield characteristics, while maintaining kernel quality and beneficial growth characteristics. The cultivar was discovered and propagated at Hidden Valley Plantations, Beerwah, Queensland, Australia.
The following is a detailed description of the new variety, with color terminology determined in accordance with The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart number. The characteristics and morphology listed below represents mean measurements from a minimum of one hundred specimens from trees grown in Beerwah, Queensland, Australia.
Tree: The tree is semi-erect in habit (more than Keauhou but less than Nutty Glen), moderately branched with a canopy of medium density (more dense than Hidden Valley A16 but less dense than Keauhou or Own Choice). The branches are more drooping than Keauhou. Leaves are found with both three and four leaves per node in a 1:1 ratio throughout the tree, unlike Keauhou and Kau which have predominantly three leaves per node and Renown which has predominantly four leaves per node. The grafted stock is strongly vigorous with shoots of medium thickness (thinner than Own Choice but thicker than Hidden Valley A16) with a mean of 42 mm between nodes, which sparse pubescence and weak anthocyanin coloration (R.H.S. color 152A) on new flushes. The tree has a relatively short juvenile phase (shorter than Keauhou or Kau) and a higher tolerance to Cercospora husk spot than observed for Own Choice.
Leaves: The leaves are narrow elliptical with a mean 3.69 times longer than wide, broader than Nutty Glen or Renown but narrower than Keauhou or Kau with an acutely pointed tip similar to Renown. The leaves are serrate with a mean 1.36 spines per cm which is characteristic and more than any known variety. Serrations are more shallow than Nutty Glen and spines are shorter than Renown. Leaves are only weakly undulated and weakly rolled compared with Keauhou. The young leaves are pale green (R.H.S. 137B) and mature leaves are dark green (R.H.S. 139A) and dull surfaced (similar to Nutty Glen) with distinctly lighter margins (R.H.S. 10A).
Mean leaf length.--144.54 mm with standard deviation (s.d.) of 22.6.
Mean leaf width.--39.23 mm with s.d. of 5.84.
Mean petiole length.--8.3 mm with s.d. of 1.48.
Flower: The racemes are cream colored, larger than Keauhou or Kau, and very dense on the tree. The tree has a shorter flowering period than Keauhou, which starts earlier and finishes later, but a longer flowering period than Hidden Valley A16. The tree has a tendency to have a second late flowering in seasons with favorable rainfall.
Fruit: The husk is of medium thickness (similar to Keauhou, thinner than Renown) with a medium hilum end point (smaller than Renown and larger than Kau) and a mildly shouldered pedicel (less than Own Choice). Husk dehiscence is partly on the tree (less than Nutty Glen and Renown) but mainly on the ground. There is an average of 1.7 nuts per raceme. There is no pre-germination on the tree observed (as in Nutty Glen) and very low incidence of fruit remaining on the tree or double embryo fruit as compared with Own Choice.
Mean fruit length.--50.05 mm with s.d. 2.82 (with pedicel and hilum).
Mean fruit width.--33.76 mm with s.d. 1.76.
Nut: The nuts are oval, 1.04 times longer than wider, less oval and more even than Renown but less round than Keauhou. The shell is light brown (R.H.S. 164A) with a smooth surface (smoother than Nutty Glen or Renown but more coarse than Kau) and a moderate sheen (more than Nutty Glen but less than Keauhou). The shell is thinner at the micropyle end (thinner than Kau but thicker than Nutty Glen). The suture is about the same color as the shell while the micropyle is barely visible. No twin mark is evident. There is moderate (less than Renown or Nutty Glen) pale flecking (R.H.S. 165C) in radial streaks from the micropyle end.
Mean nut diameter.--26.27 mm (Range 22-30 mm) with s.d. 1.38.
Mean nut weight.--7.5 gm.
Kernel: The kernel is ovoid, creamy white with very little upper/lower color difference and a mean weight of 3.5 gm. The kernel averages about 45% of the weight of the nut at 1.5% moisture content. All kernels have an oil accumulation about above 72% (100% first grade floaters recorded).
Yield: Recorded nut yields to date have been estimated to be higher per unit area than for Keauhou or Own Choice. This is based on recording yield per tree divided by tree silhouette area.
The following Table 1 compares many of these features of Hidden Valley A4 (HVA4) with the other varieties Hidden Valley A16 (HVA16), Keauhou, Kau, Own Choice, Nutty Glen, and Renown.
TABLE 1
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Character HV A4 Keauhou Kau
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TREE
Growth semi- spreading erect
habit erect
Canopy medium medium high
density low
Lower drooping level strongly
branch rising
attitude
Vigour, v-strong medium med-weak
grafts
Shoot medium medium med-thin
thickness
Anthocyanin
weak absent absent
colouration
RHS 152A
Juvenile v-short medium long
phase
LEAF
No. per 3,4 (50%) 3 3
axis
Shape Narrow Obovate Obovate
Ellipti-
cal
Tip acute obtuse obtuse
pointed rounded pointed
Length/ 3.69 3.25 3.42
breadth
length (mm)
144.54 138.82 125.09
Petiole 8.28 10.43 9.24
length (mm)
Marg: 1.36 0.12 0.17
Spines/cm
Mid portion
weak med-strong med-weak
Undulation
Rolling mid-weak med-weak med-weak
Mature dark dark dark
colour green green green
RHS Chart 139A 139A 139A
No.
Immature green green green
colour
RHS Chart 137B 137A-B 141A
No.
Margin paler paler similar
colour
Leaf sheen medium med-high med-high
Vein colour
153 B 152D 152C
or C
FLOWERING AND FRUIT
Flowering med-late medium v-early
time
Duration short medium long
Nuts/raceme
1.7 1.5 (est) 2.5 (est)
Raceme very dense medium
density dense
on tree
Raceme long short short-med
length
Husk color 137A-B 137A 137B
Husk thick-
3.7 mm 3 mm 2.7 mm
ness
% nut 14.1% 11.7% 10.6%
diameter
Hilum medium medium small
endpoint
Pedicel weak absent
shoulder
Dehiscence off-tree off-tree 1 off-tree
(1-5) 1 1
Splitting both 3 off-tree 5 off-tree
(1-5) 5
NUTS
Nut Shape oval round round
length/ 1.04 0.98 0.99
breadth
Nut 26.27 25.55 25.00
diameter (mm)
Range (mm) 22-30 21-30 22-28
Std 1.38 1.46 1.37
deviation (mm)
Kernel 3.6-3.8 2.3-2.7 2.2-2.5
weight (gm)
% of Nut 43-47 34-38 32-34
Shell smooth mild-rough smooth
texture
Shell medium dull dull
sheen
Shell moderate slight moderate
flecking
Micropyle v-slight obvious v-slight
Shell 164A 165B 165B
colour
(dried)
Suture same same lighter
colour
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Character Own Choice Nutty Glen Renown
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TREE
Growth spreading semi-erect semi-
habit erect
Canopy high low medium
density
Lower drooping rising drooping
branch
attitude
Vigour, strong strong
grafts
Shoot thin med-thin medium
thickness
Anthocyanin
weak medium
colouration weak
Juvenile med-short
phase
LEAF
No. per 3 4 4
axis
Shape Narrow Narrow Broad
Elliptical Obovate Lanceolate
Tip obtuse acute acute
rounded either pointed
Length/ 2.81 4.53 3.91
breadth
length (mm)
128.16 153.40 169.93
Petiole 8.65 4.77 7.33
length (mm)
Marg: 0.09 0.90 0.78
Spines/cm
Mid portion
medium weak weak
Undulation
Rolling med strong weak med-weak
Mature dark dark dark
colour green green green
RHS Chart 139A 137A
No.
Immature green green green
colour
RHS Chart 137B 143A
No.
Margin paler paler paler
colour
Leaf sheen low medium low-med
Vein colour
152D 153D
FLOWERING AND FRUIT
Flowering early late med-late
time
Duration
Nuts/raceme
2.0 (est) 1.5 (est)
Raceme dense med-
density dense
on tree
Raceme medium long long
length
Husk color 137A 138A
Husk thick-
3.2 mm 4.3 mm 4.4 mm
ness
% nut 12.1% 15.4% 16.4%
diameter
Hilum med-small small large
endpoint
Pedicel absent absent weak
shoulder
Dehiscence both 2 on-tree
(1-5) 3
Splitting off tree 4 on-tree 1 on-tree
(1-5) 2
NUTS
Nut Shape round round oval
length/ 1.04 0.99 1.12
breadth
Nut 25.96 28.04 26.85
diameter (mm)
Range (mm) 21-30 23-34 23-30
Std 1.57 2.02 1.45
deviation (mm)
Kernel 2.5-2.7 4.0 3.2-3.6
weight (gm)
% of Nut 33-36 46-47 39-41
Shell smooth rough rough
texture
Shell dull med-shiny shiny
sheen
Shell mod-heavy mod-slight mod-heavy
flecking
Micropyle v-slight v-slight v-slight
Shell 165A-B 165A-B 165B
colour
(dried)
Suture same same lighter
colour
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Claims
1. A new and distinct hybrid Macadamia integrifolia.times.tetraphylla named Hidden Valley A4 substantially as shown and described.
Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 26, 1989
Date of Patent: Apr 9, 1991
Inventors: Henry F. D. Bell (Beerwah, Queensland 4519), Margaret A. Bell (Beerwah, Queensland 4519), David J. D. Bell (Beerwah, Queensland 4519)
Primary Examiner: Howard J. Locker
Law Firm: Quarles & Brady
Application Number: 7/344,279
International Classification: A01H 500;
