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.
GREEN
Asclepias subulata
Asclepias erosa
Common names: DESERT MILKWEED, BEDSTRAW MILKWEED, (AJAMENTE) Arizona desert: (Asclepias subulata). Green-yellow. April-October. California desert: (Asclepias erosa). Green-white. September-October. Texas desert: (Asclepias texana). Green-white. Autumn. Milkweed family. Size: Perennials, up to 5 feet.
Readily recognizable because of their milky sap and the pods filled with silky-winged seeds, the Milkweeds are generally considered as poisonous to livestock, although rarely eaten. Appreciable quantities of rubber are found in the sap of some species.
GREEN