ABSTRACT Although two of the four Australian endemic Macadamia species are well known as horticultural crops, little is understood about their use by First Nations peoples or their longevity. Robust age estimation of the age attainable by Macadamia integrifolia would help inform conservation planning and cultivation. Here we use AMS 14 C dating to scientifically that a single macadamia tree can live for > 100 years. We suggest, based on AMS 14 C dating of our samples, that simple band counting may be insufficient for estimating age, although more samples are required to fully test this preliminary finding. Our findings represent a first step in understanding the longevity of this vulnerable species, information necessary for developing conservation plans consistent with The National Recovery Plan for Macadamia. Further work should include testing additional samples to determine whether band counts can reliably provide age information that may be used to better inform management and conservation planning.
Allen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.
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