Jojoba
Simmondsia
chinensis
Jojoba is native
to the Sonoran Desert of northwestern Mexico and to neighboring regions
in Arizona and southern California. Within this region it is often scattered
in dense stands, over 100,000 square miles of arid lands. While jojoba
is not used primarily as a vegetable, its soft-skinned nuts have long
been eaten by Indians as food. It is a wild desert shrub that produces
oil-rich nuts. It is for this oil that the plant is most prized. |