Synonyms:

• (=) Cucurbita luffa hort.
• (=) Luffa cylindrica M. Roem.
• (=) Luffa pentandra Roxb.
• (=) Momordica cylindrica L.
• (=) Momordica luffa L.

Common names:

• dishrag gourd  (Source: Biol Cucurb) - English
• loofah  (Source: Biol Cucurb) - English
• rag gourd  (Source: Biol Cucurb) - English
• smooth loofah  (Source: World Econ Pl) - English
• sponge gourd  (Source: Biol Cucurb) - English
• vegetable-sponge  (Source: Dict Gard) - English
• courge torchon  (Source: Dict Rehm) - French
• pétole  (Source: Dict Rehm) - French
• Schwammgurke  (Source: Dict Rehm) - German
• hechima  (Source: F Japan) - Japanese Rōmaji
• esponja-vegetal  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Portuguese
• estropajo  (Source: Spanish Dict) - Spanish
• paste  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• si gua  (Source: F ChinaEng) - Transcribed Chinese
• susemioi  (Source: Kulturpflanze) - Transcribed Korean
• ghia tori  (Source: Hamdard) - Urdu (Pakistan)

Economic Importance:

• Human food: potential as oil/fat (fide Hamdard 38:99. 1995)
• Human food: vegetable (from seeds fide Pl Res SEAs 8:194-195. 1993)
• Materials: fiber (of fruit for sponges fide Biol Cucurb 327. 1990; Hamdard 38:99. 1995)
• Medicines: folklore (fide CRC MedHerbs ed2; Herbs Commerce ed2; Hamdard 38:99. 1995)

Distributional Range:

Cultivated (cult. throughout tropics)

Other (origin Asia or possibly Africa)

References:

1. Bibliograf, S. A., eds. Vox modern college Spanish & English dictionary. (Spanish Dict)
2. Burkill, H. M. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. (Use Pl WT Afr)
3. Committee on Stabilization 1975. Report of the standing committee on stabilization of specific names (Taxon) 24:174.
4. Correa, J. E. & H. Y. Bernal 1991. Especies vegetales promisorias de los paises del Convenio Andres Bello. (Esp Veg Prom) 6:271-290.
5. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002 (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
6. Erhardt, W. et al. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen. 2008 (Zander Ency)
7. Exell, A. W. 1933. Correct botanical name of the Luffa sponge J. Bot. 71:352.
8. 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.
9. Hamid, S. et al. 1995. Medicinal plants of family Cucurbitaceae of Pakistan (part II) (Hamdard) 38:99.
10. Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica. 2003- (Man CostaR)
11. Heiser, C. B. & E. L. Schilling 1990. The genus Luffa: a problem in phytogeography (Biol Cucurb) 123.
12. Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992 (Dict Gard)
13. Kartesz, J. T. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. (L US Can ed2)
14. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. 1996 (Ency CNatIn)
15. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium Hortus third. (Hortus 3)
16. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. 1998 (Food Feed Crops US)
17. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000 (Herbs Commerce ed2)
18. Nicolson, D. H. et al. 1988. An interpretation of Van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus Regnum Veg. 119:97.
19. Personal Care Products Council International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient (INCI)
20. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource). (Pl Names)
21. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994 (Dict Rehm)
22. Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables (Pl Res SEAs) 8:194-196.
23. Suresh, C. R. A commentary on Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus
24. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). (F ChinaEng)

Images:

• Disseminule drawings\; A: Seed; B: embryo in situ; C: transection of seed: U.S. National Seed Herbarium drawing
• Embryo drawing: U.S. National Seed Herbarium drawing