ABSTRACT
Jojoba, a long-lived, dioecious evergreen shrub, is native only to certain parts of the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona, southern California, and northern Mexico. It is the only known plant that produces a liquid wax very similar to sperm whale oil. The liquid wax is easily extracted and many uses have been documented for this unique plant product. Intensive research programs are underway at the University of Arizona, University of California-Riverside University of the Negev in Israel, and in both Sonora and Baja California, Mexico. Jojoba has great potential as a new agricultural crop for the warmer, arid regions of the world.
