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.

Text (c) University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)