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may live well over 100 years. The female jojoba plant produces a
seed, sometimes referred to as a bean, that contains
approximately 50 percent by weight of an unusual oil. Jojoba oil
is actually a liquid wax ester, unlike the triglyceride oils
typically produced by plants, and is similar to sperm whale oil.
It takes 5 years or more for a jojoba plant to produce seeds
in a harvestable quantity. Approximately 20 pounds of jojoba
seeds are needed to produce 1 gallon of jojoba oil. Jojoba oil
is useful for a variety of purposes, ranging from cosmetics and
shampoos to industrial lubricants.
The ban in 1971 on the importation of sperm whale oil and
products using that oil stimulated an interest in the commercial
production of jojoba oil. During the nineteen seventies and into
the early nineteen eighties, jojoba oil was available only from
native jojoba plants. At that time in the United States, there
were only a few commercial-sized jojoba plantations, all of which
were in developmental stages. Domestication studies were being
conducted in the United States during that time at the University
of California at Riverside and the University of Arizona, among
other places.
2. Carole A. Whittaker
Prior to 1978, Carole A. Whittaker (Whittaker) taught
mathematics and science, primarily chemistry, at the high school
through college levels. Whittaker became generally interested in
the jojoba plant and its seed during 1976 or 1977. She left her
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