Luffa aegyptiaca Mill. GRIN-Global

Taxon: Luffa aegyptiaca Mill.

Summary

Genus:

Luffa

Family:

Cucurbitaceae

Tribe:

Sicyoeae

Nomen number:

22788

Place of publication:

Gard. dict. ed. 8: Luffa. 1768

Verified:

06/12/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

2 (2 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Heterotypic Synonym(s)

Cucurbita luffa hort.
Luffa cylindrica M. Roem.
Luffa pentandra Roxb.
Momordica cylindrica L.
Momordica luffa L.

No images

Reference(s)

Bensky, D., A. Gamble, & T. J. Kaptchuk. Chinese herbal medicine: Materia medica, rev. ed. 1993
Bibliograf, S. A., eds. Vox modern college Spanish & English dictionary. 1964
Burkill, H. M. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. 1985-2004
Committee on Stabilization. 1975. Report of the standing committee on stabilization of specific names. Taxon 24:174.
Correa, J. E. & H. Y. Bernal. 1991. Especies vegetales promisorias de los paises del Convenio Andres Bello. 1989-1998 6:271-290.
Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002
Erhardt, W. et al. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen. 2008
Exell, A. W. 1933. Correct botanical name of the Luffa sponge. J. Bot. 71:352.
Filipowicz, N. et al. 2014. Revisiting Luffa (Cucurbitaceae) 25 years after C. Heiser: Species boundaries and application of names tested with plastid and nuclear DNA sequences. Syst. Bot. 39:205-215.
Hamid, S. et al. 1995. Medicinal plants of family Cucurbitaceae of Pakistan (part II). Hamdard 38:99.
Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica. 2003-
Heiser, C. B. & E. L. Schilling. 1990. The genus Luffa: a problem in phytogeography. Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae. 1990 123.
Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992
Kartesz, J. T. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 1994
Keys, J. D. Chinese herbs: their botany, chemistry, and pharmacodynamics. 1976
Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. 1996
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. Hortus third. 1976
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. 1998
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
Núñez Meléndez, E. Plantas medicinales de Puerto Rico: Folklore y fundamentos científicos. 1982
Nicolson, D. H. et al. 1988. An interpretation of Van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus. Regnum Veg. 119:97.
Parrotta, J. A. Healing plants of peninsular India. 2001
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994
Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 1989- 8:194-196.
Suresh, C. R. A commentary on Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus.
Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. World economic plants: a standard reference (on-line edition) [medicinal plants only].
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994-

Common names

English
dishrag gourd –
loofah –
rag gourd –
smooth loofah –
sponge gourd –
vegetable-sponge –
French
courge torchon –
pétole –
German
Schwammgurke –
Japanese Rōmaji
hechima –
Portuguese
esponja-vegetal –
Spanish
estropajo –
paste –
Transcribed Chinese
si gua –
Transcribed Korean
susemioi –
Urdu (Pakistan)
ghia tori –

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note
2	Cultivated
6	Other

Cultivated ()
Other ()

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Human food	potential as oil/fat	Hamid, S. et al. 1995. Medicinal plants of family Cucurbitaceae of Pakistan (part II). Hamdard 38:99.
Human food	vegetable	Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 1989- 8:194-196.
Materials	fiber	Heiser, C. B. & E. L. Schilling. 1990. The genus Luffa: a problem in phytogeography. Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae. 1990 123.
Medicines	folklore	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://ausgenebank.agriculture.vic.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=22788. Accessed 17 April 2026.