Common Name(s): Jojoba

Synonym(s):

Family: Simmondsiaceae

Native To: Southwest US and northwest Mexico; abundant

Native Habitat: Rocky slopes and hillsides, along washes

Growth Habit: Dense shrub

Flowering: February - April

Distinguishing Characteristics: Jojoba is an abundant and distinctive resident of the Sonoran desert. The jojoba plant is so distinct that it is alone in its genus and family, and its closest relatives are unclear. The plant is dioecious, so individual plants are either male or female. It is more common, in flowering plants, to have both the male and female parts together in one flower, rather than on separate individual plants. Male plants produce flowers with copious amounts of pollen which is carried by the wind to nearby female plants. A jojoba's gender can easily be told by the structure of the inflorescence; male flowers are produced in clusters whereas female flowers are produced singly.

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: Jojoba is an abundant and distinctive resident of the Sonoran desert. The jojoba plant is so distinct that it is alone in its genus and family, and its closest relatives are unclear. The plant is dioecious, so individual plants are either male or female. It is more common, in flowering plants, to have both the male and female parts together in one flower, rather than on separate individual plants. Male plants produce flowers with copious amounts of pollen which is carried by the wind to nearby female plants. A jojoba's gender can easily be told by the structure of the inflorescence; male flowers are produced in clusters whereas female flowers are produced singly.

Ethnobotany: Fruits of the jojoba are single-seeded capsules and were used by the Seri people in coastal Sonora and the Tohono O’odham tribe. The name itself comes the O’odham tribe who recognized the use of Jojoba paste as a treatment for burns and the oil for preservations of animals’ hides. Other native uses include oil for styling hair and tea made from the leaves that is said to relieve stomach problems and rheumatism. The raw fruits are considered edible by many animals however most humans find them distasteful preferring instead to roast them for use as a coffee substitute. The seed contains an oil that is similar to sperm whale oil; it became commercially important after the ban on whale hunting in 1972. The oil, which is actually a liquid wax, has been used in industry for electrical insulation, phonograph records, and varnishes.

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