Simmondsia chinensis

Jojoba; goatnut

Family: Simmondsiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Jojoba is a native shrub found in southern California Coastal, Peninsular Ranges, southern Desert Mojave, and Sonoran Desert regions in creosote-bush scrub, desert wash scrub, chaparral, and coastal scrub at elevations up to 1,350 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow-green flowers with staminate sepals 3 to 4 millimeters long and distinctive yellow anthers. Growing 1 to 2 meters tall with stiff branches and short, dense appressed hairs that become less dense with age, it develops a distinctive structure. Its oblong-ovate leaves are 2 to 4 centimeters long, dull green, and nearly stalkless. The fruit is a tough, leathery nut-like structure 1 to 2.5 centimeters long, containing large seeds rich in liquid wax.

Habitat: Creosote-bush scrub, desert wash scrub, chaparral, coastal scrub

Bloom period: Generally Mar-May

Elevation: < 1350 m

Bioregions: s SCo, PR, s DMoj, DSon

California counties: Riverside, Imperial, San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Alameda, Kern, Sonoma

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.