Luffa

Luffa
	Egyptian luffa with nearly mature fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily:	Cucurbitoideae
Tribe:	Sicyoeae
Genus:	Luffa; Mill.
Species
	Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb. (angled luffa, ridged luffa, vegetable gourd); Luffa aegyptiaca Mill. (smooth luffa, Egyptian luffa, dishrag gourd, gourd loofa); Luffa astorii Svenson; Luffa echinata Roxb.; Luffa graveolens Roxb.; Luffa operculata (L.) Cogn. (wild loofa, sponge cucumber); Luffa quinquefida (Hook. & Arn.) Seem.; Luffa saccata F.Muell. ex I.Telford; Luffa sepium (G.Mey.) C.Jeffrey;
Synonyms
	Poppya Neck.; Trevouxia Scop.; Turia Forssk. ex J.F.Gmel.;

Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash and gourd family (Cucurbitaceae).

In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah^[3] or less frequently loofa,^[4] usually refers to the fruits of the species Luffa aegyptiaca and Luffa acutangula. It is cultivated and eaten as a vegetable, but must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. The vegetable is popular in India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Vietnam.^[5] When the fruit is fully ripened, it is very fibrous. The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge.

^ Cite error: The named reference OriginOfNomenclature was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b "Luffa Mill". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
^ "loofah | Collins Dictionary".
^ "loofa | Collins Dictionary".
^ Christman, Steve (March 13, 2010). "Luffa aegyptiaca". Floridata.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.

[OriginOfNomenclature-1] Cite error: The named reference OriginOfNomenclature was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[POWO-2] "Luffa Mill". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 October 2023.

[3] "loofah | Collins Dictionary".

[4] "loofa | Collins Dictionary".

[5] Christman, Steve (March 13, 2010). "Luffa aegyptiaca". Floridata.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.

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Luffa

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