[Illustration: Simmondsia chinensis]
Common names: GOATNUT, DEERNUT, (_JOJOBA_), WILD-HAZEL, COFFEEBERRY
Arizona and California deserts: (_Simmondsia chinensis_).
Green-yellow. December-July.
Box family. Size: Shrub, 2 to 5 feet high.
_Jojoba_ (hoh-HOH-bah) is another of the desert plants which is
noticeable, not because of its flowers, but due to its leathery,
gray-green foliage which persists throughout the year. These shrubs are
numerous at elevations between 1,000 and 4,300 feet in the lower levels
of desert mountain ranges, particularly on the alluvial fans at the
mouths of canyons.
The acorn-like nuts, which taste something like filberts, but are bitter
because of their tannin content, were long an important item of food
among the Indians and the early settlers. The thickly set, evergreen
leaves are browsed by Deer and other animals, and the nuts are gathered
by Ground Squirrels.
The nuts contain an edible oil (actually a liquid wax) which has some
medicinal value and is used in small quantities in the manufacture of
hair oil. Attempts to raise the nut in commercial quantities have not
proved successful. On occasions the nuts have been roasted and used as a
substitute for coffee.