Simmondsia chinensis: Jojoba, Goat Nut.

Jojoba is a shrub native to the Sonoran Desert. It has very small flowers that grow on separate plants. The male plants produce small clustered flowers, the female plants produce individual flowers that, if pollinated with the help of the wind, will produce fruit.

Male plant flowers.

It is a shrub that can grow up to 4 meters high, but it can also remain short if pruned. It does not require irrigation (only to establish them), and you can plant it in a sunny or shaded space, wherever you put it, will make it work. It is great for giving shelter to birds and its leaves and seeds serve as food for different animals such as rabbits, squirrels, javelinas, deer and even cows.

Surely you have already heard about the oil that is extracted from the jojoba seed, which is used in the cosmetics industry, such as body creams, makeup and even in hair products such as shampoos and conditioners. Well, the discovery of jojoba oil and its commercialization literally saved the whales from extinction!

Female plant flowers.

For many years, whales were hunted for their oil (actually wax), which served as fuel for lamps and wax for candles. In the 1940's, whaling began to be regulated, and it was not until 1971 someone discovered that jojoba seed oil (which is not oil either, it is wax but we all call it oil) could replace whale oil, and could be a profitable business, which caused a boom in jojoba plantations and more experimentation to find more uses for it.

Jojoba brings many benefits in urban gardens, for example here in our garden in Tucson, we use it as a barrier between our house and our neighbors' house, so we don't see them every day :). It also helps reduce noise, which is why we have several jojobas in the middle of ours and our neighbors' garages.

A Cooper's Hawk resting in a jojoba in our garden.

Aesthetically speaking, it does great near fences or boring walls, since its grayish-green color gives it a "background" effect that, combined with other plants with more vibrant colors, produces an interesting contrast. Jojobas look good around tall trees, or mixed with agaves. They are also used at the edge of paths, which requires pruning from time to time, personally I don't like the idea of over-pruning bushes, but its up to you and your needs! Anyhow, this plant can withstand anything!!

A Queen Butterfly in a jojoba branch in our garden, minutes after re-born!

Type: Perennial shrub, evergreen, can live up to 100 years!

Size: From 3ft to 13ft tall.

Water use: Very little, it tolerates drought, but if you are going to plant one in your garden it is good to give it a deep watering once a week for the first six months to help it establish itself.

Flower season: December to July.

Flowers: Tiny green-yellow.

Food for: Bees love pollen from the flowers of male plants; birds, rabbits, javelinas, deer and squirrels eat the seeds and leaves.

Where to plant: Full sun, part shade, shade.

Distribution: Southern California, Southern Arizona, Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora, Mexico.

Ancestral use: Native Americans extracted the oil from jojoba seeds and used it to heal skin wounds. The seeds are edible but is not the best flavor, it’s best to leave it to wildlife!

Landscape design: Combined with other shrubs such as creosote bush, it creates a natural fence with interesting textures. It provides great contrast with agaves, and is great for creating a micro-climate if you plant it around trees like mesquites, you will get shade and fresh wind in the summer. It is the perfect shrub to create a feeling of privacy, or if you don’t like your neighbors that much, plant a bunch of jojobas, it will look way better than a concrete wall.

Jojoba "wall"

Sources:

Book:

- Baja California Plant Field Guide 3rd Edition, Norman C. Roberts and J. Rebman.

Web:

-https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/jojoba#:~:text=Unlike%20vegetable%20oils%20and%20animal,et%20al.%2C%202006).

-- https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/jojoba.html

Vachellia farnesiana: Sweet Acacia.

This tree is native to the southern United States, Mexico to Brazil, Colombia and Peru, so it doesn't just belong to the Sonoran Desert.

Sweet Acacia Flowers

We called Sweet Acacia, because of the sweet aroma that its flowers emanate. And it is because of the aroma that this tree is very famous internationally! It’s known that the Jesuits introduced this tree to Spain in the 1600's and from there it was shared throughout Europe. Since then it has been cultivated in countries with warm climates and used for the production of perfumes... And sometimes we, here in the Sonoran Desert, take it for granted!.

The characteristics of sweet acacia are very similar to other Acacias from Australia and Africa, and that is why when the latin name Acacia farnesiana was assigned, it was based on

Pod and flowers

an error, since here in the American continent we do not have native Acacias as in other parts of the world, so it was not until 2005 that the latin name was changed to Vachellia farnesiana. And the name farnesiana comes from the last name of the Italian Cardinal Odoardo Farnese of the 16th century, who, under the patronage of his family, preserved certain private gardens where these trees were stablished by the Jesuits.

Sweet acacia, like many other desert trees, has thorns, but this does not matter if you give it space and the necessary care (pruning branches that are close to where you walk, for example), I have also noticed when it is growing, it produces lots of suckers!, these are branches that grow from the stem and give it the shape of a bush instead of a tree, so if you want to keep the shape of a tree, you're going to have to prune these suckers from time to time.

The thorns are not too dangerous if you wear leather gloves, and if you are careful when pruning. And to the bad luck of this beautiful tree, the pollen of its flowers can cause allergies in some people, but compared to other plants such as the horrible bermuda grass, it is not such a potent allergen. I am very lucky not to be one of them, and I love enjoying the benefits of having this tree in my garden: shade, color, perfume, pollinators, shelter for birds, protection against winds and noise.

Sweet Acacia in front of a business parking lot on Broadway Blvd. Tucson, AZ

Here in Tucson we use sweet acacia in the parking lots and on the medians in the streets, when in bloom their color stands out from the asphalt. They are an excellent alternative for small patios as they do not grow as large as Mesquites or Palo Fierros, and can also be used as accent plants, which means placing it in a focal point in your garden.

Type: Tree, evergreen in mild winters.

Size: 15 - 20 ft tall.

Water use: Drought tolerant, deep watering during summer to encourage fast growth.

Flower season: Spring, Fall and sometimes Winter.

Flowers: Half inch yellow balls, sweet aroma.

Food for: Nectar-feeding insects, larval host for the Mexican yellow butterfly (Eurema mexicana), Mimosa yellow (Pyrisitia nise), and Reakirt's blue (Hemiargus isola) as well as several species of moths*.

Where to plant: Full sun, whenever you can enjoying the sweet smell!

Distribution: Southern California and Arizona, Texas, Florida, from Mexico to South America

Ancestral use: The pods are used for ink and medicinal applications, the bark is used for dyeing and tanning and its widely cultivated worldwide in warm countries for the production of perfumes.

Landscape design: This tree is perfect for a small patio, it can be placed as a focal point, because when in bloom, the color is so bright it does not go unnoticed. It can also create a look of natural desert landscape together with branching shrubs and cactus.

*https://www.spadefootnursery.com/tree-selection-guide

Larrea tridentata: Creosote bush.

This shrub is the one to blame for the delicious smell of rain in the Sonoran Desert! It is one of my Top 10 favorite plants in this region, especially because it is found in my home in Baja California Sur and in Arizona. It is a bush that can reach up to 9 ft tall, with small leaves and such cute little yellow flowers. Its seeds are velvety, its stems are thin and flexible.

Creosote bush - Larrea tridentata

The leaves exude an oil that is what gives it its distinctive aroma, some people believe that it is not good to plant anything around Creosote bush because that "oil" does not allow the growth of other species. This is false, as can be seen in the natural landscape, there are creosote bushes and other plants growing together.

Creosote bush can beautify your garden as it is an excellent plant to combine with others. Its stems are thin and have a delicate appearance, they give a good contrast if you combine them with cacti and agaves. We have several creosotes in our garden, one of them is in our outdoor shower in the backyard, every time we shower we can appreciate the smell that emanates with the water from the shower. Among many ancient uses, it is still used as a home remedy for athlete's foot and it is known that it was very popular among cowboys, as they used the twigs to prevent foot odor.

Our outdoor shower with a creosote bush so we can appreciate its fragrance while we bathe!

Many insects evolved along with this wonderful plant, one of them being the stick insect Diapheromera covilleae, as well as Tachardiella larreae, a type of scale insect that exudes a substance that has been used as glue.

"Little ball" produced by the fly Asphondylia auripila © Peter J. Bryant.

A very small fly (Asphondylia auripila) produces little balls on the stems of creosote, that is where they lay their eggs and use the plant as a host. They don't harm the plant, but they do look interesting.

In the book Baja California Plant Field Guide by Norman C. Roberts and Jon P. Redman, 3rd edition, it's mentioned the age that this plant can acquire. Creosote bush settled 17,000 years ago near the southern Colorado River and expanded into the southwestern United States and Mexico. The oldest creosote known, found in the Mojave Desert, is 11,700 years old and is considered the oldest plant on the planet.

Type: Shrub, perenial, evergreen.

Size: 3 to 9 ft tall.

Water use: Very little, drought tolerant.

Flower season: Spring, summer and autumn.

Flowers: Small, yellow.

Food for: Lizards, grasshoppers, bees, black-tailed hare and more!

Where to plant: Full sun.

Distribution: Sonoran, Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts.

Ancestral use: Used as tea from the leaves and stems for stomachaches, diarrhea, colic, coughs, and colds. It was also used to relieve rheumatic pain, ulcers, and leg swelling.

Landscaping: Contrast creosote with other more voluminous plants such as agaves, nopales, saguaros, etc. If you have an outdoor shower, plant one or two around it so you can enjoy the smell of rain every day. The branches look great in flower arrangements.