Is a Macadamia nut really a seed, or a nut?

There are not many true nuts. Nuts are found in the order Fagales, with oaks, acorns, chestnuts, hornbeam, and Hazels producing nuts. The confusion about nuts is that the use of the term by botanists is different than the use of the term for culinary, or food-related applications. Most people incorrectly apply the term nut to any seed with a large oil kernel found within a hard shell, but if the hard shell opens and the seed is not fused to the hard ovary "shell," then it is not a nut. Most of what people call nuts are not true nuts (like macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, pine nuts, etc.) This is like when people call a tomato a vegetable when it is actually a fruit, specifically a berry. So in short, a macadamia nut is actually a seed.


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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Is a Macadamia nut really a seed, or a nut?
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: May 12, 2017
  • Date accessed: March 6, 2024
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/questions/macadamia-nut-really-seed-or-nut

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, May 12). Is a Macadamia nut really a seed, or a nut? . ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved March 6, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/questions/macadamia-nut-really-seed-or-nut

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Is a Macadamia nut really a seed, or a nut? ". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 12 May, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/questions/macadamia-nut-really-seed-or-nut

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Is a Macadamia nut really a seed, or a nut? ". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 12 May 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 6 Mar 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/questions/macadamia-nut-really-seed-or-nut

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/

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