The Luffa Sponge Gourd Luffa Aegyptic(L

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Bell County Master Gardeners Tip of the Week By Gary Slanga The Luffa Sponge Gourd Luffa aegyptic(L. scylindrica) I was recently introduced to a large zucchini looking vegetable and asked what I thought it might be. To my surprise it looked very much like the Luffa (or Loofa) gourd, which belongs to the Cucurbitaceae or cucumber family. This is a unique gourd in that the luffa bath sponges are made from this vegetable. Believe it or not, because of its fibrous vascular tissue, it can also be used for packing material, filters, and various other decorating crafts. It is even used as a scrubbing pad for cleaning other vegetables! Planting luffas from seed takes a little patience because they are slow to germinate. Seeds should be scarified and soaked over night before planting. Scarifying simply means that you scratch or abrade the seed coat so that water will penetrate faster. Luffas take longer to grow than most gourds, up to 140 days and mature later than other gourds. This gourd is also cold sensitive but loves hot weather. The gourd can be grown on the ground but does much better if allowed to climb on a trellis. The trellis has to be sturdy since the vines can reach well over fifteen feet in length and produce a great canopy of foliage. Fruit will be 12 to 18 inches long or longer and can weigh up to three pounds or more. For use as a vegetable, pick the fruit when it is very small, six inches or so. The vegetable is great in stews, soups or can be used like summer squash. The gourds mature late in summer or early fall. They will turn yellow or brown when mature. Mature fruit is necessary for producing heavy fibrous tissue that make up the organic bath sponges that are sold. Leave the gourd on the vine for as long as possible but harvest before the first frost. The Luffa gourd has many craft uses for the dried spongy flesh of this fruit. As gardeners in Central Texas with plenty of heat great success in growing it is very possible. For much more information on this unique gourd or for instructions on how to process the flesh for other uses, see the listed web sites. http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/cobb/anr/Documents/luffa.pdf Have any questions about gardening in Central Texas? Contact [email protected] .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Anatomical and Histochemical Characterization of Leaves of Luffa Cylindrica(L.) M
Pharmacogn J. 2019; 11(3): 511-514 A Multifaceted Journal in the field of Natural Products and Pharmacognosy Original Article www.phcogj.com Anatomical and Histochemical Characterization of Leaves of Luffa cylindrica(L.) M. Roem Laís Emanuelle Bernardo Vieira, Rafaela Damasceno Sá, Karina Perrelli Randau* ABSTRACT Background: Luffa cylindrica (L.) M. Roem. (Cucurbitaceae) is an herbaceous plant used for food as compose salads and do sweets and also used in traditional medicine as treat parasitic infections and intestinal diseases. Although this information, there are not many relates about anatomic characters for use in your quality control. Objective: The aim was investigating the anatomical characters of petiole and leaf blade and characterizing the metabolites in the leaf blade of L. cylindrica. Materials and Methods: Semipermanent histological slides were prepared for analysis of petiole and leaf blade in optical microscopy. Histochemical tests were also performed in the leaf blade. Results: The anatomical study revealed information about the type of trichomes, cuticle, vascular bundles and arrangement of the tissues that determine the botanical identity of this species. It was also identifying, for the first time, the presence of two types of trichomes in both of leaf blades faces. The histochemistry allowed determining which metabolites are in the leaf blade and also their location. Conclusion: The study described new characters for L. cylindrica and the results provide support to quality control of the species. Key words: Anatomy, Cucurbitaceae, Histochemistry, Luffa cylindrica, Microscopy. INTRODUCTION The Cucurbitaceae family have 134 genera and encom- (L.) Cogn.15 Luffa cylindrica is popularly known as pass over 965 species.
[Show full text]
Pollinators Visiting Summer Vegetables Ridge Gourd (Luffa Acutangula), Bitter Gourd (Momordica Charantia L.) and Brinjal (Solanum Melongena)
Asian J Agri Biol, 2013, 1(1):8-12. POLLINATORS VISITING SUMMER VEGETABLES RIDGE GOURD (LUFFA ACUTANGULA), BITTER GOURD (MOMORDICA CHARANTIA L.) AND BRINJAL (SOLANUM MELONGENA) Imran Bodlah and Muhammad Waqar Department of Entomology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan. ABSTRACT The forging activity of insect pollinators visiting the summer vegetables i.e. Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula), Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.) and Eggplant or Brinjal (Solanum melongena) observed. Two orders Hymenoptera and Diptera were identified as the major pollinators of these vegetables. The order Hymenoptera include six species (Apis Sp., Bombus sp., Xylocopa sp., Halictus sp. and two unidentified species 1 from Halictidae family and 1 from Megachilidae families) and order diptera include there 3 species of pollinators (Eristalinus sp. and 1 un-identified specie from family Syrphidae and Muscidae each). The foraging rate was much higher early in the morning i.e. 6- 7 am. Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula) have the more abundant number of insects pollinating it followed by Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) and Brinjal (Solanum melongena). The total number if insect pollinators show that the order hymenoptera include the most abundant number of insect pollinators. Keywords: Pollinators, Luffa acutangula, Momordica charantia L, Solanum melongena INTRODUCTION globally about £153 billion per year (Gallai, 2009).From which the honeybees and Pollination is most important activity in the bumblebees contribute more than £173 million ecosystem for the biodiversity of plants on for the outdoor crops and £30 million for the earth. For the sustainability and continuity of greenhouse crops in UK. 80% of the plant the ecosystem insects play their vital role (Ali species in UK, including majority crop plants and Breeze , 2011) Pollination also increase the need insects for their pollination (Carreck and quality and efficiency of crop production.
[Show full text]
Growing Specialty Ethnic Crops for a South Asian Market in the Northeast
Growing Specialty Ethnic Crops for a South Asian Market in the Northeast Table of Contents Introduction 2 Beans 3 Winged Beans 3 Long Beans 4 Seim Beans 5 Gourds 6 Snake Gourd 6 Bitter Melon 7 Luffa 8 Bottle Gourd 9 Greens 10 Jute 10 Dasheen 11 Malabar Spinach 12 Lamb’s Quarters 13 Growing South Asian Vegetables in the Northeast, a Crop Guide by East New York Farms! 2 Introduction Cultivating South Asian specialty crops in the Northeast of the United States requires creativity, versatility, and intuition, not only because of the gap in literature addressing their cultivation in temperate zones, but also because of the increasing rate of unpredictable weather patterns that growers are confronted with worldwide. Our hope is that this guide will impart a cohesive understanding of these crop types, and will share some helpful growing East New York Farmers Market on a busy summer Saturday. tips to increase the yield and fulfillment gained from growing these unique crops. The South Asian specialty crops included in this guide are divided into three general categories: beans, vining gourds, and greens. We chose these crops because they are viable in our climate and show economic potential. We did not include every crop that growers were planting, many of which are well-known and commonly grown(e.g. tomatoes, onions, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all pictures in this guide were taken by East New York Farms! staff in our network of gardens and at our An elaborate trellis system for vining crops in an East New York backyard farmers market.
[Show full text]
53 Luffa Cylindrica- Sponge Gourd (Cucurbitaceae): A
International Journal of Applied and Advanced Scientific Research (IJAASR) Impact Factor: 5.655, ISSN (Online): 2456 - 3080 (www.dvpublication.com) Volume 3, Issue 1, 2018 LUFFA CYLINDRICA- SPONGE GOURD (CUCURBITACEAE): A MEDICINAL GREEN HERB Sunita Verma* & Rajbala** * Lecturer, Department of Botany, Rakeh P.G College, Pilani, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan ** Lecturer, Department of Botany, SRRM Government P.G College, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan Cite This Article: Sunita Verma & Rajbala, “Luffacylindrical- Sponge Gourd (Cucurbitaceae): A Medicinal Green Herb”, International Journal of Applied and Advanced Scientific Research, Volume 3, Issue 1, Page Number 53-55, 2018. Abstract: A medicinal herb as potential source of therapeutic aids has attained a significant role in health system. Genus Luffa belongs to Cucurbitaceae family is a tropical or sub tropical and warm climate fast growing plant. Luffa cylindrica as a medicinal plant has been widely employed in treatment of many diseases. It used as edible vegetable. The present paper is an attempt to provide a detailed taxonomy, phyto-chemical characters, medicinal and pharmacological potential of this valuable herb plant. Key Words: Medicinal, Herb, Hepatoprotective & Vegetable. 1. Introduction: Nature has bestowed our country with an enormous wealth of medicinal plants, therefore India has often been referred to as the Medicinal Garden of the world. A medicinal herb as potential source of therapeutic aids has attained a significant role in health system all over the world for both humans and animals not only in the diseased condition but also as potential material for maintaining proper health [1]. Herbal medicine is still the mainstay of about 75-80% of the world population, mainly in developing countries, for primary health care because of better cultural acceptability, better compatibility with the human body and lesser side effects.
[Show full text]
Studies on Effect of Grafting Technique on Growth and Yield of Bitter Gourd (Momordica Charantia L.)
Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research Vol. 76, October 2017, pp. 654-661 Studies on Effect of Grafting Technique on Growth and Yield of Bitter Gourd (Momordica Charantia L.) N A Tamilselvi1* and L Pugalendhi2 *1Department of Vegetable Crops, Horticulture College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, Tamil Nadu 2Horticultural Research Station, Yearcaud-636 601 Tamil Nadu Received 14 August 2016; revised 17 April 2017; accepted 22 August 2017 The experiment was conducted during 2012-14 to study the effect of grafting technique with different rootstocks on growth and yield of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) by comparing grafted bitter gourd plants with non-grafted (intact) plants under field conditions. The bitter gourd cultivars viz., Palee F1 and CO 1 were grafted onto six cucurbitaceous rootstocks by adopting side grafting method. At 15 days after grafting, the bitter gourd scions grafted with pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) rootstocks recorded the higher success percentage (89.05 and 85.35) than other graft combinations. The result revealed that, the grafted plants had better vegetative growth and yield than the non-grafted plants (check). Highest vegetative growth (844.26 cm), least node number to first female flower appearance (25.80), narrow sex ratio (17.89) number more fruit number (28.02 fruits) and fruit yield per vine (3.55 kg/vine) were observed in Palee F1 scion grafted onto ‘pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata)’ rootstock than other graft combinations and non-grafted plants. The differences recorded for growth and yield of the tested cultivars might be due to different growth characteristics, graft affinity and compatibility.
[Show full text]
Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Luffa Tuberosa Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae)
International Journal of Bioinformatics Research, ISSN: 0975–3087, Volume 2, Issue 2, 2010, pp-42-60 Molecular phylogenetic study of Luffa tuberosa Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae) based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA and its systematic implication Ajmal Ali M.1*, Karuppusamy S.2 and Fahad M. Al-Hemaid1 *1Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia, [email protected] 2Department of Botany, The Madura College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India Abstract- The phylogenetic position of long been debatable species Luffa tuberosa was inferred in the present study using ITS sequence of nuclear ribosomal DNA data. The study sampled a total number of 16 accessions which include five accessions of Luffa (under four species i.e. Luffa acutangula, L. cylindrica, L. aegyptiaca and L. tuberosa), nine accessions of Momordica (under eight species i.e. M. angustisepala, M. balsamina, M. cabraei, M. charantia, M. charantia subsp. macroloba, M. cissoides, M. cochinchinensis, M. dioica and M. foetida) and two accessions of Trichosanthes under two species (i.e. T. lepiniana and T. tricuspidata). The sequence data analysis clearly reveals nesting of Luffa tuberosa within the clade of Momordica, thus, we herein support the inclusion of Luffa tuberosa into the genus Momordica as M. tuberosa (Roxb.) Cogn. Key Words: Luffa tuberosa, Momordica, Cucurbitaceae, ITS, nuclear ribosomal DNA INTRODUCTION tendril-bearing vine grows up to 5 meter. It bears The genus Luffa Miller, belongs to Tribe Luffeae, simple, alternate leaves, 4-12 cm across, with 3-7 Subfamily Cucurbitioideae, Family Cucurbitaceae deeply separated lobes [1]. are distributed mainly in tropical regions of the The taxonomic position of Luffa aroused much world [1].
[Show full text]
Luffa Cylindrica) Seeds Powder and Their Utilization to Improve Stabilized Emulsions
Middle East Journal of Applied Volume : 07 | Issue :03 |July-Sept.| 2017 Sciences Pages: 613-625 ISSN 2077-4613 Functional characterization of luffa (Luffa cylindrica) seeds powder and their utilization to improve stabilized emulsions Rabab H. Salem Food Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Home Economics, Al- Azhar University, Tanta, Egypt. Received: 10 July 2017 / Accepted: 20 August 2017 / Publication date: 28 Sept. 2017 ABSTRACT There is an increased necessity to discover new sources of proteins used as functional ingredients in different food systems. The aim of this research is using luffa (Luffa cylindrica) seeds for producing functional powder can be used as emulsifier agent with studying its nutritional properties. The results showed that, the content of crude protein obtained was 28.45%. The high total carbohydrate (60.95%) for Luffa seeds powder. The most concentrated amino acid in the seeds powder was glutamic acid (11.56 g/100g); while aspartic (10.98g/100g) was the most concentrated non-essential amino acids. On the other hand, the highest scoring essential amino acid was tyrosine (2.60); while threonine was the lowest scoring amino acid (0.97) making it the first limiting amino acid. The results also showed that, the bulk density was 0.40 g/cm3 for seeds powder. The water absorption capacity of luffa seeds powder was 235% while oil absorption capacity was 85% and the least gelation concentration was 12% which reveal its functional properties, thus it can be used for binding water and oil in food systems. The cytotoxic results showed that CC50 value of Luffa seeds powder on BHK cell line was >200 µg/ml.
[Show full text]
Luffa Aegyptiaca Click on Images to Enlarge
Species information Abo ut Reso urces Hom e A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Luffa aegyptiaca Click on images to enlarge Family Cucurbitaceae Scientific Name Luffa aegyptiaca Mill. Miller, P. (1768) The Gardeners Dictionary : . Type: Cultivated plant. Common name Flowers. Copyright CSIRO Gourd, Sponge; Sponge Gourd; Towel Gourd; Vegetable Sponge; Gourd, Towel; Loofa Stem A slender vine not exceeding a stem diameter of 2 cm. Leaves Leaf blades palmatifid, palmately lobed and veined, about 10-25 x 11-26 cm, petioles about 4-13.5 cm long, grooved on the upper surface. Upper and lower leaf blade surfaces clothed in short white hairs, lower surface also densely gland-dotted. Tendrils 3-5-branched, more lateral than leaf-opposed. Leaves and Flowers. Copyright CSIRO Flowers Male flowers in racemose bracteate inflorescences about 10-25 cm long. Hypanthium about 2-4 mm long, calyx lobes about 4-7 mm long. Petals about 12-20 mm long. Anther cells +/- sinuous. Stamens attached to the base of the hypanthium, filaments very hairy. Female flowers solitary on pedicels about 3-4 mm long. Staminodes five. Disk conspicuous below the staminodes, disk nectar producing. Ovary about 8-12 mm long, hairy and shortly spinose. Stigmas three, very hairy. Fruit Fruits ellipsoid, about 6-10 x 3.5-4 cm with a large pore at the apex when mature. Inner fruit wall very fibrous except for a longitudinal cavity which facilitates the shedding of seeds. Seeds numerous, flat, about 9-10 x 6- 7 mm with a narrow wing encircling the seed at the equator? Embryo about 6-7 x 4 mm, radicle short and Habit, flowers and fruits.
[Show full text]
RIDGE GOURD (Luffa Acutangula L.)
RIDGE GOURD (Luffa acutangula L.) Ridge gourd is a cucurbitaceous summer vegetable grown throughout the year in north eastern region and is used as vegetables. It is a creeper and has a climbing or trailing habit. There is a wide variation in shape and length of fruits. Cultivars PKM-l, Pusa Nasdar and Satputia are the recommended varieties for this region. Climate and Soil Warm and humid climate is favourable for its growth and development. The optimum temperature requirement is 25-30 QC. Ridge gourd can be grown in all kinds of soil but loam, clay loam and silt soil are best suited for its cultivation. Proper drainage is highly beneficial. Field Preparation Same as in cucumber Seed Rate: 3.5 to 5 kg/ha Time of Sowing Ridge gourd is cultivated both as summer and rainy season crop. Summer crop: January to April. Rainy season crop: June to July In hills of Meghalaya the seeds are sown in April. Spacing 1.5 to 2.5m (row to row) x 60 to 120cm (plant to plant) Manure and Fertilizer Well rotten FYM @ 10-15 t/ha should be applied at the time of land preparation. NPK @ 25:30:30 kg/ha should be applied before sowing. Apply 15-25 kg N /ha thirty days after sowing. Intercultural Operation Weeding: Shallow cultivation should be given during early stages of growth to control the weed. Herbicides such as Paraquat @800g/acre may be used to control the weeds. During weeding and hoeing, earthing up of the vine should be done. Staking: The vine should be trained on a bower with the help of thin bamboo pole used as a stake.
[Show full text]
Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) Hugo J De Boer1*, Hanno Schaefer2, Mats Thulin3 and Susanne S Renner4
de Boer et al. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2012, 12:108 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/12/108 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Evolution and loss of long-fringed petals: a case study using a dated phylogeny of the snake gourds, Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) Hugo J de Boer1*, Hanno Schaefer2, Mats Thulin3 and Susanne S Renner4 Abstract Background: The Cucurbitaceae genus Trichosanthes comprises 90–100 species that occur from India to Japan and southeast to Australia and Fiji. Most species have large white or pale yellow petals with conspicuously fringed margins, the fringes sometimes several cm long. Pollination is usually by hawkmoths. Previous molecular data for a small number of species suggested that a monophyletic Trichosanthes might include the Asian genera Gymnopetalum (four species, lacking long petal fringes) and Hodgsonia (two species with petals fringed). Here we test these groups’ relationships using a species sampling of c. 60% and 4759 nucleotides of nuclear and plastid DNA. To infer the time and direction of the geographic expansion of the Trichosanthes clade we employ molecular clock dating and statistical biogeographic reconstruction, and we also address the gain or loss of petal fringes. Results: Trichosanthes is monophyletic as long as it includes Gymnopetalum, which itself is polyphyletic. The closest relative of Trichosanthes appears to be the sponge gourds, Luffa, while Hodgsonia is more distantly related. Of six morphology-based sections in Trichosanthes with more than one species, three are supported by the molecular results; two new sections appear warranted. Molecular dating and biogeographic analyses suggest an Oligocene origin of Trichosanthes in Eurasia or East Asia, followed by diversification and spread throughout the Malesian biogeographic region and into the Australian continent.
[Show full text]
Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Luffa Cylindrica Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Hybrid Composite
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF International Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology MultiCraft ENGINEERING, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2015, pp. 1-10 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY www.ijest-ng.com www.ajol.info/index.php/ijest 2015 MultiCraft Limited. All rights reserved Investigation of mechanical properties of luffa cylindrica fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composite Niharika Mohanta 1*, S. K. Acharya 2 1, 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, INDIA. *Corresponding Author: e-mail: [email protected], Abstract In this present work, the effect of stacking sequence on mechanical properties of untreated luffa cylindrica and glass fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites has been investigated experimentally. Composite laminates were fabricated by hand lay-up technique. All the composites were made with a total of 4 plies, by varying the number and position of glass layers so as to obtain six different stacking sequences. One group of neat epoxy samples was also fabricated for comparison purpose. Samples were analysed for their mechanical and flexural properties to establish the effect of various stacking sequence. It is found that the optimum properties (tensile and flexural strength) are achieved from hybrid laminate (S5) i.e. by placing two luffa cylindrica fibre mats at the middle when supported by two glass fibre mats on either side. Keywords: Luffa cylindrica-glass hybrid, Tensile strength, Flexural strength, ILSS, SEM DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ijest.v7i1.1 1. Introduction In recent years, the use of natural-fiber-reinforced polymeric composite are being popularly used in many applications in view of their easy availability, low cost, light weight, high specific modulus, nontoxity and pollution-free production.
[Show full text]
Luffa Aegyptiaca! Nancy Christopherson, CCMGA Member and Garden Co-Chair
Luffa aegyptiaca! Nancy Christopherson, CCMGA member and Garden Co-chair Growing gourds can be fun and exciting for gardeners of all ages as vines climb, flower, and produce fruit in a variety of shapes and sizes. Once harvested, gourds can be used for food, toys, musical instruments, decoration, and kitchen utensils. These qualities are why several gourd varieties were planted along the fence of Crossville’s Kinder Garden. The luffa gourd was chosen not only because it provides an excellent summer screen behind the pergola, but also because of the tactile stimulation the tissue skeleton will provide once harvested and dried. Luffa aegyptiaca has many common names including luffa (also spelled “loofah” or “loofa”), sponge gourd, Chinese okra, Egyptian cucumber, elephant okra, and dishrag gourd. Leaves and vines resemble cucumber foliage, a clue that luffas are from the cucurbitaceae family along with squash and other gourds. It is edible only when immature. Young fruits, less than 7 inches long and still green, can be substituted for vegetables in a curry, chutney, salad, soup, or stir fry. Mature fruits look a bit like overgrown zucchini reaching a length of 2 feet. Once ripened, the outer skin is removed to reveal the “luffa” inside, a product commonly used as a bath, sauna, or kitchen sponge. Growing~ When growing luffa gourds, it is important to know your growing season. Luffa gourds require a minimum of 160 days from seed to harvest. For those of us on the Plateau with an average growing season of 153 days, seeds must be started indoors several weeks before transplanting to ensure maturity before a killing frost hits.
[Show full text]