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Jojoba
Simmondsia chinensis
Photo of Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) in Palm Canyon, California, taken March 2005 by Stan Shebs. This image is hosted at Wikipedia.
This mature fruit of jojoba was found along Camp Creek, Maricopa Co., Arizona in August 2008.
SHRUB :
A medium to large sized shrub, occasionally pushing
3 meters in height and diameter. The stems are stiff and intricately
branched with brown or gray bark. Jojoba regrows readily from the root stock
after fire and so does well in fire-adapted chaparral habitats.
LEAVES: Gray-green, elyptic leaves are very leathery.
RANGE : Upper Sonoran Desert and occasionally in better watered
locations in lowland Sonoran Desert. Also under cultivation in various Arizona
and California desert locations both for city landscaping and for production of
jojoba oil. Jojoba is also a frequent element in lower elevation interior
chaparral vegetation.
FLOWERS/FRUIT: Female and male flowers are on separate plants. Male
flowers produce copious yellow pollen. Otherwise the flowers lack showy petals.
The large acorn-sized nuts borne only on female shrubs are bitter, but edible
and are the source of the jojoba oil.
UNARMED.