Luffa
Publications
Gourd, Luffa—Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem., Luffa aegyptica Mill., and Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.
MV071/HS604 by James M. StephensOctober 30th, 2018
Luffa—an Asian Vegetable Emerging in Florida
HS1285/HS1285 by Yucong Xie, Guodong Liu, Yuncong Li, and Kati MigliaccioFebruary 10th, 2023A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Plant Systems
Symptoms of Nitrogen and Iron Deficiency in Luffa
HS1475/HS1475by Qiansheng Li, Marina Gluck, Yanlin Wang, Wendy Mussoline, Qingren Wang, Yuncong Li, and Guodong LiuNovember 15th, 2023Luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca, synonym Luffa cylindrica) is a tropical and subtropical climbing plant belonging to the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae), natively cultivated in South and Southeast Asia. There are two main species of luffa grown in Florida: smooth luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca Mill.), primarily grown in small gardens and angled luffa (Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.), basically grown for commercial production (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1285). It is commonly called sponge gourd, Egyptian cucumber, or Vietnamese luffa. Young fruits are edible and rich with nutritional and medicinal value (Partap et al. 2012; Azeez, Bello, and Adedeji et al. 2013). The mature fruit has strong fibrous insides, which can be used as natural porous fiber (Siqueira, Bras, and Dufresne 2010; Sivakandhan et al. 2020) for dishwashing or shower scrubbing. This publication is written for growers, state and county Extension faculty, and students interested in crop production.
Related IFAS Blog Posts
Asian Vegetables Grown in Florida
Paul RobertsMay 29th, 2022As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month comes to a close, let’s spotlight some Asian vegetables Florida growers produce. The below fun facts are from the Asian Vegetables Emerging in Florida series, published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department. Bitter Melon Bitter melon has been used in Asian and African herbal medicine for a long time, […]
How To Harvest a Luffa Gourd
Anne YasalonisJanuary 23rd, 2019Have you ever grown a luffa gourd or seen one growing in a botanical garden? They are large gourds that grow quite easily in central Florida. These unique gourds can be harvested and used for crafts, home decor and as bath products. You can harvest your luffa gourds and collect seeds to keep growing them […]
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