LUFFA

The Smooth Luffa is also called Vegetable Sponge or Dishcloth Gourd. It is a fast-growing, showy annual climber with leaves that are soft and furry and it has a large fruit with smooth skin containing smooth, oval and jet-black seeds.
The Angled Luffa is similar but with deeply fluted fruits. It is also called Okra Vine, a reference to the taste of its young fruit. Its seeds are black, pitted on the surface and a little smaller than those of Smooth Luffa. The Angled Luffa is more popular than Smooth Luffa in Asian cooking.

Plant Names
Botanical Family: 
CUCURBITACEAE
Common Name: 
LUFFA
Genus: 
Luffa
Species: 
cylindrica
Origins: 

Tropical Asia and transported to Arab countries long ago.
The longer a plant has been in cultivation, the more varieties there are. Herklots (1972) writes :
“There is little variation in fruit except in size from a few ounces to a few pounds. This is regarded as evidence either that the plant has not long been in cultivation or that its use until recent times has been restricted to a few purposes.“

Plant Description: 

The Smooth Luffa is also called Vegetable Sponge or Dishcloth Gourd. It is a fast-growing, showy annual climber with leaves that are soft and furry and it has a large fruit with smooth skin containing smooth, oval and jet-black seeds.
The Angled Luffa is similar but with deeply fluted fruits. It is also called Okra Vine, a reference to the taste of its young fruit. Its seeds are black, pitted on the surface and a little smaller than those of Smooth Luffa. The Angled Luffa is more popular than Smooth Luffa in Asian cooking.

Variety Notes: 

Both luffas grow in the North Island of New Zealand, but they are frost tender. Seeds of these are available from groceries in the various Chinatowns, as with many Asian vegetables.

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