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LUFFA
| ?Luffa |
Egyptian luffa with nearly mature fruit
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| Scientific classification |
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Species
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- L. acutangula (Angled luffa, Ridged Luffa)
- L. aegyptiaca (Smooth luffa, Egyptian luffa)
- L. operculata (Sponge cucumber)
and others
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The luffas (from Arabic لوف; also spelled loofah or loofa) are tropical and subtropical annual vines comprising the genus Luffa. The fruit of at least two species, L. acutangula and L. aegyptiaca, is grown to be harvested before maturity and eaten as a vegetable, sometimes called Chinese okra, popular in Asia and Africa. L. acutangula is also known as Ridge Gourd and is called jhingey in Bengali, turai in Hindi, wetakolu in Sinhala, and kabatiti in Ilocano. The fruit of L. aegyptiaca may also be allowed to mature and used as a bath or kitchen sponge after being processed to remove everything but the network of xylems. This version is called dhundul in Bengali, ghiya tori or nerua in Hindi. "peerkankai" in Tamil.
Luffa species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hypercompe albicornis.
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