|Scientific name:||Luffa aegyptiaca Mill.|
|Synonym name:||Luffa cylindrica M. Roem.|
|Common name:||Sponge gourd, Loofah/Lufah, sponge gourd, vegetable sponge, bath sponge or dish cloth gourd|
|Family:||Cucurbitaceae , Cucumber family|
|Stems:||Five angled stems with tendrils on the axils of leaves to facilitate climbing; vine more than 9 m long|
|Leaves:||Alternate, palmately lobed; hairless, serrated margin|
|Inflorescence:||Staminate flowers in racemes of 4-20 and contain five free stamens; pistillate flowers either singly on a separate node or in association with staminate inflorescence; the lower nodes usually bear only staminate inflorescence, middle nodes both staminate inflorescence and pistillate flowers, and terminal nodes only pistillate flowers|
|Flowers:||Monoecious,5 yellow petals; 5-7.5 cm in diameter|
|Fruits / pods:||Gourd, shaped like cucumbers, green with longitudinal marked lines, up to 60 cm long and c.7.5 cm in diameter, shaped like a large cylindrical pepo (a fleshy watery fruit); flat blackish seeds|
|Habitat:||Well drained sandy loam soil, rich in organic matter|
Derivation of the botanical name:
Luffa, from Egyptian Arabic lufah, the Arabic name of the plant.
aegyptiaca, from Egypt.
cylindrica, κυλινδροϛ cylindrus, cylinder, roller; cylindrical.