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Egyptian Luffa
''Luffa aegyptiaca'', the sponge gourd, Egyptian cucumber or Vietnamese luffa, is an Annual plant, annual species of vine cultivated for its fruit, native to South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. Description The three-lobed leaves are wide. The fruit, approximately long and maturing to brown, resembles a cucumber in shape and size. Etymology The synonymous botanical specific epithet (botany), specific epithet "''aegyptiaca''" was given to this plant in the 16th century when European botanists were introduced to the plant from its cultivation in Egypt. In the European botanical literature, the plant was first described by Johann Veslingius in 1638, who named it "Egyptian cucumber". Veslingius also introduced the name "Luffa". Cultivation Luffa has been cultivated throughout Asia for centuries for use as a household cleaning agent and is now, due to the gently abrasive quality of the natural fibers, a popular exfoliating agent in the eco-friendly cosmetic industry. Owing to i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Miller
Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ''The Gardeners Dictionary''. Life Born in Deptford or Greenwich, Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1722 until he was pressured to retire shortly before his death. According to the botanist Peter Collinson, who visited the physic garden in July 1764 and recorded his observation in his commonplace books, Miller "has raised the reputation of the Chelsea Garden so much that it excels all the gardens of Europe for its amazing variety of plants of all orders and classes and from all climates..." He wrote ''The Gardener's and Florists Dictionary or a Complete System of Horticulture'' (1724) and ''The Gardener's Dictionary containing the Methods of Cultivating and Improving the Kitchen Fruit and Flower Garden'', which first appeared in 1731 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
