Seedlings may be numerous with favorable precipitation, however. Slopes are usually over 3 percent and often over 30 percent. Jojoba is mostly limited to well-drained, coarse desert soils such as sandy alluviums and coarse mixtures of gravels and clays. Growth in natural stands is linked to winter-spring rains. Jojoba can tolerate extreme daily temperature fluctuations.
Little information is available on the successional status of jojoba.
It is normally found growing in full sunlight. Seasonal growth and development of jojoba is generally a response to winter-spring rains. In the Tucson, Arizona, area jojoba has flowered as early as the first week in January. Flowering usually begins in late January with peak bloom in February. The flowering period is usually complete by late February to mid-March.