''Luffa acutangula'' is a

cucurbitaceous The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: *''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds *''Lagenari ...

vine that is commercially grown for its unripe fruits as a vegetable. Mature fruits are used as natural cleaning sponges. Its fruit slightly resembles a

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.zucchini The zucchini (; plural: zucchini or zucchinis), courgette (; plural: courgettes) or baby marrow (''Cucurbita pepo'') is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are st ...

with ridges. It ranges from central and eastern Asia to southeastern Asia. It is also grown as a

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

in places with colder climates. English

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s include angled luffa, Chinese okra, dish cloth gourd, ridged gourd, sponge gourd, vegetable gourd, strainer vine, ribbed loofah, silky gourd, silk gourd,M.M.P.N.D. - Sorting Luffa names
Plantnames.unimelb.edu.au (2000-02-06). Retrieved on 2014-05-26.
Kitazawaseed.com (2014-01-22). Retrieved on 2014-05-26. and sinkwa towelsponge.

Uses

The young fruit of some

Luffa ''Luffa'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah, usually refers to the fruits of the species '' Luffa aegyptiaca'' and '' Luffa acuta ...

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s are used as cooked vegetables or pickled or eaten raw, and the shoots and flowers are sometimes also used. Like ''

Luffa aegyptiaca ''Luffa aegyptiaca'', the sponge gourd, Egyptian cucumber or Vietnamese luffa, is an annual species of vine cultivated for its fruit, native to South and Southeast Asia. Description The three-lobed leaves are wide. The fruit, approximately ...

'', the mature fruits are harvested when dry and processed to remove all but the fruit fibre, which can then be used as a sponge or as fibre for making hats.

Gallery

File:Glands in probract that attract ants.jpg, Extrafloral nectar glands in Luffa acutangula and

Oecophylla smaragdina ''Oecophylla smaragdina'' (common names include Asian weaver ant, weaver ant, green ant, green tree ant, semut rangrang, semut kerangga, and orange gaster) is a species of arboreal ant found in tropical Asia and Australia. These ants form colon ...

ants File:Luffa acutangula Chinese okra female flower 2.jpg, A female flower of Luffa acutangula or Chinese okra. File:Luffa acutangula Chinese okra male flower.jpg, A male flower of Luffa acutangula or Chinese okra.

References

Asian vegetables Cucurbitoideae Fruit vegetables Flora of the Indian subcontinent {{Cucurbitales-stub

Uses

Gallery

See also

References