JOJOBA
Andrea Meckley, Certified Horticulturist
Description: Evergreen
shrub
shrub
Mature size: 6 feet tall x 6 feet wide
Water use: low
Exposure: all
day sun
day sun
Origin: Sonoran Desert
Uses: Hedge,
screen, or foundation plant
screen, or foundation plant
Hardy: to 15 degrees
F
F
Despite its scientific name Simmondsia chinensis, jojoba does not
originate in China. The botanist Johann Link originally named the species Buxus chinensis
after misreading a collection label “Calif” as “China”. This hardy shrub has leathery grey-green egg
shaped leaves and the female plant produces edible nut-like fruit. Jojoba provides year-round food for many
animals, including deer, javelina, bighorn sheep, and livestock. The nuts
are eaten by squirrels, rabbits, other rodents, and larger birds. Only Bailey’s Pocket Mouse, however, is known to be able to digest the wax found
inside the jojoba nut. The name
“jojoba” originated from the O’odham people from the Sonoran Desert who treated burns
with an antioxidant salve made from a paste of the jojoba nut. In large quantities, the seed meal is toxic
to many mammals, and the indigestible wax acts as a laxative in humans. Jojoba nuts contain
more than 40 percent “oil,” which is actually a liquid wax. The wax is highly
resistant to oxidation and is stable at high temperatures. These properties
make it a very high quality lubricant, equal to sperm whale oil. Only sperm
whale or jojoba oil is acceptable for some industrial applications. The wax is
also used in cosmetics. For these reasons and because sperm whales are
endangered, jojoba is being developed as a commercial crop in several countries.
originate in China. The botanist Johann Link originally named the species Buxus chinensis
after misreading a collection label “Calif” as “China”. This hardy shrub has leathery grey-green egg
shaped leaves and the female plant produces edible nut-like fruit. Jojoba provides year-round food for many
animals, including deer, javelina, bighorn sheep, and livestock. The nuts
are eaten by squirrels, rabbits, other rodents, and larger birds. Only Bailey’s Pocket Mouse, however, is known to be able to digest the wax found
inside the jojoba nut. The name
“jojoba” originated from the O’odham people from the Sonoran Desert who treated burns
with an antioxidant salve made from a paste of the jojoba nut. In large quantities, the seed meal is toxic
to many mammals, and the indigestible wax acts as a laxative in humans. Jojoba nuts contain
more than 40 percent “oil,” which is actually a liquid wax. The wax is highly
resistant to oxidation and is stable at high temperatures. These properties
make it a very high quality lubricant, equal to sperm whale oil. Only sperm
whale or jojoba oil is acceptable for some industrial applications. The wax is
also used in cosmetics. For these reasons and because sperm whales are
endangered, jojoba is being developed as a commercial crop in several countries.