5 Jojoba seeds, Simmondsia chinensis, Ore.
(Goat Nut, Pig Nut, Coffeeberry)
Jojoba prefers light, coarsely textured soils. Good drainage and water penetration is necessary. It tolerates salinity and nutrient-poor soils. Soil pH should be between 5 and 8. High temperatures are tolerated by jojoba, but frost can damage or kill plants. Seeds are a source of jojoba oil, which are valuable in cosmetics and medicine. One of the leading products to come out of the Sonoran desert.
Perennial, evergreen, woody shrub native to the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, growing to small tree size and preferring full sun and desert dry conditions. Excellent potential as a crop grown in marginal lands. Can be grown in pots. Sow seeds one inch deep in very well drained soil and keep barely moist and very warm until germination, which takes 20 to 30 days. Work up in pots and transplant out five to 15 feet apart.
Hardy to Zones 8 to 12, otherwise grown as a potted plant and brought in for the winter.
Photos from Wikipedia Commons (first two).