File:Luffa_aegyptica.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Luffa
Sign in to saveAlso known as loofah, loofa
Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash and gourd family (Cucurbitaceae).
OverviewAI-generated
Luffa is a genus of plants within the family Cucurbitaceae. It belongs to the order Cucurbitales, class Magnoliopsida, and phylum Tracheophyta in the kingdom Plantae. The scientific name is Luffa Mill., and it is also referred to by the common names luffa, lufa, and sz-kwei.
Records for this taxon are held by institutions including ANSP, MICH, UACH, CAS, and BRIT. Occurrence data has been documented in Thailand, the Philippines, Mexico, China, and Pakistan. The genus has 11,694 recorded occurrences and 212 records, with 100 associated media items. Additionally, 645 publications reference Luffa in PubMed, and the subject is referenced by 90 other encyclopedia articles.
Synthesized by Vinony from 29 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Luffa
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderCucurbitales
- FamilyCucurbitaceae
Common Name: sz-kwei
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 212
- With media
- 100
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Collections
- ANSP, MICH, UACH, CAS, BRIT, UCR
- Recorded in
- Thailand, Philippines, Mexico, China, Pakistan, Brasil, El Salvador, Dominican Republic
Research
645 papers- In silico analysis of peroxidase from Luffa acutangula.3 Biotech · 2023Basumatary D, Saikia S, Yadav HS et al.DOI: 10.1007/s13205-022-03432-8
- Assembly and comparative analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of white towel gourd (Luffa cylindrica).ReviewGenomics · 2024Gong Y, Luo X, Zhang T et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2024.110859
- Mapping metabolome changes in Luffa aegyptiaca Mill fruits at different maturation stages via MS-based metabolomics and chemometrics.ReviewJournal of advanced research · 2021Maamoun AA, El-Akkad RH, Farag MADOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2019.10.009
- Analyzing genetic diversity in luffa and developing a Fusarium wilt-susceptible linked SNP marker through a single plant genome-wide association (sp-GWAS) study.BMC plant biology · 2024Li YD, Liu YC, Jiang YX et al.DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05022-7
- Loofa (Luffa cylindrica) sponge: review of development of the biomatrix as a tool for biotechnological applications.ReviewBiotechnology progress · 2013Saeed A, Iqbal MDOI: 10.1002/btpr.1702
- Pharmacology, toxicology and homeopathy of Luffa operculata (L.) Cogniaux (Cucurbitaceae): Integrative review.ReviewToxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology · 2025Pereira-de-Morais L, Batista PR, Alencar Silva A et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108286
- Luffa cylindrica (Sponge Gourd) Fibers in Treatment of Greywater: an Aerobic Fixed-Film Reactor Approach.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2024Arora U, Khuntia HK, Chanakya HN et al.DOI: 10.1007/s12010-023-04804-3
- The complete mitochondrial genome of Luffa acutangula.Mitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources · 2020Ruang-Areerate P, Shearman J, Kongkachana W et al.DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2020.1810165
via PubMed
~15 min read
Encyclopedic overview
16 sectionsContents
- Names
- Uses
- Fibers
- Food
- Indian subcontinent
- Other Asian cuisines
- Western cuisines
- Other uses
- Role in food chain
- Mechanical properties
- Fiber-bundles
- Bulk-sponge
- Dynamic loading
- Gallery
- References
- External links
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 or less frequently loofa, 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, Indonesia and Vietnam. When the fruit fully ripens, it becomes too fibrous for eating. The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge. In October 2025, the world record for the heaviest luffa was broken at the NC State Fair. The luffa, grown in Graham, NC weighed 11 lb 3.3 oz (5.08 kg).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Luffa” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.