in
Science & Nature
—
Jojoba's Secret: How a Scribble Sent a Desert Plant to China (On Paper)
The Jojoba plant's scientific name, Simmondsia chinensis, implies it's from China. This is a historical error. A 19th-century botanist misread the collector's handwritten label 'Calif.' for California as 'China,' and the name stuck due to scientific naming rules.
You've likely seen it on the ingredients list of your favorite shampoo, lotion, or face oil: Jojoba. Prized for its unique moisturizing properties, this hardy desert shrub is a staple in the cosmetics industry. But behind this familiar name lies a secret, a geographical blunder immortalized by science. The plant's official name, Simmondsia chinensis, tells a tale of a place it has never been: China.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
The Jojoba plant is quintessentially North American. It thrives in the harsh, arid conditions of the Sonoran Desert, the Mojave Desert, and the Baja California peninsula. It is a true native of the American Southwest and northwestern Mexico. So why does its scientific name, a system designed for precision, contain the specific epithet chinensis, meaning "from China"? The answer lies in a simple, human error—a case of terrible handwriting and a mistaken assumption made nearly 200 years ago.
The Scene of the "Crime": A Botanist's Blunder
The story begins with two prominent 19th-century naturalists. First, there was Thomas Nuttall, an English botanist and zealous explorer of the American wilderness. During his travels, he collected thousands of plant specimens, carefully pressing them, drying them, and labeling them with details of their discovery. One of these specimens was the Jojoba plant, which he noted was collected in "Calif."
This specimen eventually made its way across the Atlantic to Germany, landing on the desk of Heinrich Friedrich Link, a distinguished botanist and director of the Berlin Botanical Garden. In 1822, while examining Nuttall's collection, Link came across the desert shrub. Peering at the handwritten label, he misinterpreted Nuttall's scrawled "Calif." as "China." Believing he had a new species from Asia, he formally described it and gave it the name Buxus chinensis (it was later reclassified into its own genus, Simmondsia). The mistake was officially entered into the scientific record.
Why the Mistake Stuck: The Rules of the Name Game
One might assume that such an obvious geographical error would be corrected. However, botanical nomenclature operates under a strict set of rules, chief among them being the "Principle of Priority." This principle, outlined in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), dictates that the first validly published name for a species is the correct one, regardless of whether it's inappropriate or based on a mistake.
The principle of priority is a fundamental guiding precept of the International Code of Nomenclature... which states that if a single taxon has been described and named more than once, the earliest name published in accordance with the rules is the one that has authority.
Because Link's description in 1822 was the first, the name chinensis was locked in. Changing it would require a special proposal and a vote by the International Botanical Congress—a complex process reserved for cases that cause major confusion. For Jojoba, the error is considered more of a historical quirk than a critical problem. And so, Simmondsia chinensis it remains, a permanent testament to a simple misreading.
The story of the Jojoba plant's name is more than just a piece of trivia. It’s a charming reminder that science is a human endeavor, complete with misunderstandings, messy handwriting, and indelible mistakes. The next time you use a product with Jojoba oil, you can appreciate not only its desert resilience but also its accidental, and permanent, paper trail to China.