Macadamia is an important horticultural crop of South Africa, and the major cultivars grown have a wide range of attributes. These cultivars originated from diverse backgrounds, but the genetic relatio'nships between them are unclear. Here we describe new insights into the genetic identity, relationships, and species composition of 38 varieties of macadamia representing the diversity currently available within the macadamia industry of South Africa. The varieties were surveyed with the DNA marker system, RAF (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA). Varieties ranged from pure Macadamia integrifolia, through hybrids of varying species proportions, to pure M. tetraphylla, and fall into at least seven major germplasm groups. Local hybrid selections were genetically distinct from those of other selection o'rigins. The cultivar 791 was unusual, identified as a tri-species hybrid containing a significant proportion of the wild species M. temifolia. It was also shown that 741 u is the true 741 cultivar and 741 s is actually the cul!ivar 800.
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