Family: SIMMONDSIACEAE
The name jojoba (pronounced ho ho ba) comes from the original native American Hohowi. Other common names include: goat nut, pig nut, coffee bush and deer nut.
Native of the Californian Gulf region and particularly the Sonoran Desert, this drought tolerant evergreen shrub has been recorded growing to a height of 5 m with a spread of 6 m. The trunks are usually multi - stemmed and have been recorded up to about 400 mm diameter. The tree lives for over 100 years.
Established plants are capable of withstanding temperatures as low as - 9°C without long term damage but flower buds and new seed can be damaged at - 2°C. Soil temperature can reach as high as 65°C with ambient air temperature as high as 48°C. Within the plant's natural distribution both summer and winter rainfall areas are experienced so the plant seems able to cope with either. Although the plant will establish in areas as low as 200 mm of rainfall, most production occurs above 400 mm. Where drainage is good it can grow in areas up to 1300 mm rainfall. The plant will not tolerate waterlogging. Valley bottoms are usually avoided because of increased cold and moisture. It seems tolerant of most soil types but needs reasonable porosity. Jojoba is very resistant to saline water. Trials have shown no loss of production at 7,000 ppm.
The edible nuts are eaten raw or roasted. It is also used by early settlers to make a coffee substitute. The Coahuila tribe used them to make a drink. The nuts were ground and boiled then the liquid strained off. The Mexicans also made a drink by grinding roasted nuts with hard boiled egg yolk. The resulting paste was boiled with water, milk and sugar. Vanilla was added to taste. The drink is said to resemble thick chocolate.
The oil, easily extracted from the nut, is a liquid wax which is very rare, valuable and highly prized in industry It is used for cosmetics and shampoos but also as a high grade lubricant for quality machinery. It is used where previously only sperm whale oil was used. The oil cake remaining after extraction and treatment is high in protein (30%) and considered a good stock feed.
In its native environment, the plant is browsed by deer, cattle, sheep, goats, crows, pigeons, jays and rodents.
The plant can be grown as an unkept hedge. Many people have been disillusioned by promises of instant wealth from jojoba. This has resulted in a certain apathy toward the plant which seems to have stopped a lot of people from even trialing a few plants.