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Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.
| Family Name: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Synonyms: | Cucumis acutangulus |
| Common Name: | Angled Loofah, Ridged Gourd, Chinese Okra |
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Name
Classifications and Characteristics
| Plant Division | Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon) |
|---|---|
| Plant Growth Form | Climber |
| Mode of Nutrition | Autotrophic |
Biogeography
| Native Habitat | Terrestrial |
|---|---|
| Preferred Climate Zone | Tropical |
Description and Ethnobotany
| Growth Form | It is an annual herbaceous climber. |
|---|---|
| Foliage | Leaves pale green, simple, 5-7-angled or shallowly lobed with rough surfaces. |
| Stems | Stem acutely five-angled with three or more hairy tendrils at each point where tendrils extend. |
| Flowers | Flowers are pale yellow, 4-5 cm in diameter and unisexual. Male flowers are borne on stalks on unbranched elongated inflorescences, known as racemes, while female flowers are solitary and borne in the same leaf-axils as the male flowers. Flowers are fragrant, opening in the evening. |
| Fruit | Matured fruit is dry and fibrous, splitting from a lid-like structure, known as an operculum, located at the apex of the fruit. Club-shaped and with ten prominent ribs running along its length, the fruit has a fibrous spongy skeleton network inside, containing numerous flattened seeds that are pitted and black without a narrow wing-like margin. Green in colour when young, the fruit turns dry and brown when mature, together with the disappearance of its soft internal tissue. |
| Others - Plant Morphology | Luffa acutangula is one of the species from the Old World and is thought to have originated from India, where wild forms occur. Now cultivated in South and Southeast Asia, and occasionally in other tropical subtropical areas. |
| Habitat | It typically grows in the low humid tropics, up to 500 m altitude. |
| Cultivation | Rich soils with high organic matter content, good drainage and pH values of 6.5 – 7.5 are preferred by Luffa acutangula. Sandy loams may also be used as a growing medium, but sufficient nutrients must be supplied. Frost-sensitive, Luffa acutangula is intolerant of too much water, with high rainfall especially harmful during flowering and fruiting seasons. Differences in daylength sensitivity exist amongst the cultivars, there being day-neutral, short-day and long-day cultivars. Luffa acutangula is propagated by seed. |
| Etymology | Luffa, or loofah, is derived from the Arabic name, louff, for Luffa cylindrica, while the specific epithet, acutangula, means “with sharp edges”, referring to the prominent ridges of the fruit. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses | Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits, Edible Leaves, Edible Flowers Food (Fruit or Vegetable): Immature fruits, young leaves and flower buds of Luffa acutangula are used as vegetables. The young fruits are cooked or fried for use in soups or sliced and dried for later use. Young fruits from the sweet cultivars may be eaten raw like cucumbers or pickled if small in size. Mature fruits are fibrous, bitter and inedible, containing purgative substances. They are also little used, as compared to mature fruits of L. aegyptiaca, or the smooth loofah, from which loofah sponges are much easier to extract. (Herb or Spice) Medicinal: The fibres, charred and fresh fruits, seeds, leaves and sap from the stem of Luffa acutangula have uses in medicine and cosmetics, particularly in Japan and China. |
Landscaping Features
| Landscape Uses | Vertical Greenery / Green Wall, Container Planting |
|---|
Fauna, Pollination and Dispersal
| Fauna Pollination Dispersal Associated Fauna | Bee-Attracting |
|---|---|
| Pollination Method(s) | Biotic (Fauna) (Insects (Bee)) |
Plant Care and Propagation
| Light Preference | Full Sun |
|---|---|
| Water Preference | Moderate Water |
| Propagation Method | Seed |
Foliar
| Mature Foliage Colour(s) | Green |
|---|---|
| Foliar Modification | Foliar Tendril |
Non - Foliar and Storage
| Stem Type & Modification | Herbaceous |
|---|
Floral (Angiosperm)
| Flower & Plant Sexuality | Unisexual Flowers , Monoecious |
| Flower Colour(s) | Yellow / Golden |
|---|
| Inflorescence Type | Raceme |
Fruit, Seed and Spore
| Mature Fruit Colour(s) | Brown |
|---|---|
| Fruit Type | Dehiscent Dry Fruit , Capsule |
Image Repository
Others
| Master ID | 30679 |
|---|---|
| Species ID | 4988 |
| Flora Disclaimer | The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes. |
