Rows of Plants Near Dateland

[Dunner]

I have driven the route to Yuma hundreds of time and around about Dateland, there are rows and rows of this shrub like plant. It does not appear that anybody is harvesting them. Does anybody have any idea what they are? Inquiring minds need to know.

[WindsorDave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dunner I have driven the route to Yuma hundreds of time and around about Dateland, there are rows and rows of this shrub like plant. It does not appear that anybody is harvesting them. Does anybody have any idea what they are? Inquiring minds need to know.

Probably jojoba beans. The oil is a popular ingredient in cosmetics, lotions, potions, and unctuous ointments. It was was considered for a time as a possible fuel, similar to the idea that cooking oil is currently being recycled into fuel. Given the logistics of growing, processing, and distribution it never gained much support as a fuel.

FWIW

[Dunner]

I remember running across a Hippy camp in Northern AZ when riding our dirt bikes. They had 55 gallon drums of the beans they were collecting from plants that were ~8-10' high. Might have been a different variety of Jojoba.

Jojoba was my first thought, too