Leaf
Moheen Reeyad · CC BY-SA 4.0
Loofah
Luffa aegyptiaca (L.) Roem.
Also known as: Sponge gourd, Luffa, Smooth loofah
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Climbing vine of 3 to 6 m
Grown in the vegetable garden in warm climates, on a trellis or pergola
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Not hardy, needs strong heat, grown as an annual
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The same loofah fruit can be eaten cooked like a courgette when young, or left to dry on the plant to reveal at maturity a network of fibres that becomes the famous natural bath sponge.
🍃 Leaves
Large, palmate, lobed, borne on a vine that climbs by tendrils
🌸 Flowers
Yellow, large, monoecious plant
🍎 Fruits
Elongated cylindrical green fruit whose fibrous interior dries into a natural sponge once ripe
🪵 Bark
Vigorous climbing herbaceous vine
🗺️ Distribution
Native to tropical Asia; grown in France in warm climates, still marginal
🐝 Value for pollinators
Large flowers very rich in nectar, important for fruit formation
✂️ Horticultural uses
Heat-demanding fruiting vegetable for the vegetable garden, also grown for its ripe dried fruit used as a natural sponge
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Young fruit edible, cooked like a courgette; no known toxicity
🌿 Other Cucurbitaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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