Simmondsia chinensis
Simmondsia chinensis
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of arid regions in the subtropics, it can also be cultivated in arid tropical areas at elevations up to 1,500 metres[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 36°c, but can tolerate 10 - 50°c with an absolute high of 55°c[1, 2]. Plants require at least one month of lower temperatures, around 15 - 20°c, in order to break dormancy of flower buds - at constantly high temperatures jojoba never flowers[3]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -10°c, but young plants are very susceptible to frost damage[1, 2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 250 - 800mm, but tolerates 100 - 2,000mm[2]. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained light to medium soil[4]. Tolerates saline soils[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 5 - 8.2[1]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[5]. Simmondsia is able to withstand extreme daily temperature fluctuations. Its thick, leathery leaves are usually held erect, maximizing interception of solar radiation during the cooler part of the day and minimizing it during the heat of midday[6]. Plants are slow-growing[1]. In cultivation, male plants may start flowering 2 years after planting and female ones up to 1 year later. Flowering occurs on new growth only and is initiated by low temperatures. Cultivars with different chilling requirements have been selected[1]. The plant comes into full bearing in 7 - 8 years, and can bear fruit for 100 - 200 years[2]. Flower buds may remain dormant until sufficient moisture is available[1]. Prolonged drought may lead to abortion of flower buds and young fruits[1]. Under favourable conditions, plants can live for longer than 100 years[3]. In more difficult conditions they can survive as small stunted shrubs[3]. Plans have a long tap root that is able to penetrate as deep as 25 metres into the soil in search of moisture[3]. Thus established plants are very drought tolerant[3]. Yields of up to 4.5 tonnes of wax per hectare are believed possible, though in practice 3.5 tonnes is the maximum achieved[3]. The plant is dioecious (female and male flowers are found on separate bushes). One male plant for every 5 or so females is required for optimum seed production.
Propagation
Seed - sow in a sunny position in situ or in a nursery seedbed, preferably in slightly alkaline sand or in vermiculite at temperatures of 27 - 38°c[1]. After germination, the plant forms a deeply penetrating taproot (which can reach 10 metres or more in mature plants), which can be 60cm long before the emergence of the shoot[1]. The seed stores fairly well - germination is good even after 6 months, but viability is reduced to less than 40% after 10 years of seed storage at ambient conditions[1]. Cuttings. Propagation by softwood cuttings from selected shrubs that have been treated with IBA can be used. The cuttings are best planted in a nursery under mist. Cuttings take 25 - 40 days to strike root. Fivenode cuttings, taken from actively growing plants, give plants with a strongly growing root system[1]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Simmondsia+chinensis>
Pollinators
Wind
References
- [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [3]The National Non-Food Crops Centre Crop Database — http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/crops/pd.cfm ↩︎An excellent on-line information source, with information on over 100 species (as of 2006) of plants being investigated as bio-crops.
- [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [5]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
- [6]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
- [7]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.