Virginia Tech Dendrology

jojoba Simmondsiaceae Simmondsia chinensis (Link) C.K. Schneid. symbol: SICH
Leaf: Opposite, simple, evergreen (will shed in severe drought), elliptical, leathery, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, entire margins, oriented vertically, pale gray-green.
Flower: Species is dioecious; females usually solitary in leaf axils, with 5 gray-green leafy sepals; males in dense clusters, appearing in early spring.
Fruit: Dry acorn-like capsule with a pointed end, yellow-brown darkening as it ripens, 1 inch long, ripens in late summer, very oil-rich.
Twig: Slender, pale gray-green to gray-brown, very fuzzy.
Bark: Smooth, gray to light brown.
Form: Upright, multi-stemmed shrub, reaching up to 12 feet, rounded crown when young but then becomes more spreading with twisted limbs.

Additional Range Information: Simmondsia chinensis is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information