Origin | Breeds | Growth | Physiological characteristics | Health value | Usage
Introduction of the Luffa
Origin of luffa
Luffa is the fresh fruit of cucurbitaceous plant, with a scientific name Luffa cylindrical. It is suitable for dishes and delicious. Luffa is named for the silky fiber after its fruits grow old.
Luffa is originally in tropical zone of Asia and there are still wild species in India. There is the record for cultivation and utilization of luffa in southern areas of China about 2000 years ago. Taiwan has planted luffa for about 300 years.
At present, Luffa is planted all over Taiwan mainly besides canals and ditches or in humid areas, with the production area concentrated in middle and southern area, such as Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung Counties, in which, Pingtung planted the most.
Relatively common luffa in Taiwan includes Taiwan luffa, Penghu luffa and ornamental luffa.
1.Taiwan luffa
Taiwan luffa also includes two kinds, in which, the rice meter-like is called as rice-tube luffa, the longer breed is called long-tube luffa. Rice-tube luffa is also called as large-hilum luffa. As the name suggests, it is featured by short fruit, cylindrical shape, soft fruit flesh and edible for general households. Long-tube luffa is with the most abundant yield, but is not edible for its crude fiber. It is the best raw material to make into sabut cuci.
2.Penghu luffa瓜
This breed is rich in Penghu, thus is called Penghu luffa. Moreover, Penghu luffa is also called as angle melon. Penghu luffa tastes crisp and delicious, which is white and not easy to blacken after boiled.
3.Ornamental luffa
Ornamental luffa is slender, curved and snakelike, which is the rare snake melon. Many snake melons hanging under the shed will frighten some timid ones.
Luffa is an annual herb and appropriate to be sowed between March to May. The seedlings grow rapidly, which sprouts in four to five days, is able to be planted in two weeks (with 4-6 leaves), blooms in about 40 days and can be harvested in 10 days after the female flower withering. Or else, the luffa will taste bad since growing old.
Luffa is applicable to grow in soil rich in organic matter. The cultivation place must have intense sunlight and warm climate. When it is planted in sandy soil, it should be watered frequently for normal growth due to fast water loss. Moreover, the tendrils growing out are well developed and have strong winding capacity, which will climb on the shed, bamboo rod, bush, handrail, and wall easily. The tendrils can spread on the open land if there is no object for them to wind.
Luffa is the fresh fruit of cucurbitaceous plant. The physiological characteristics of the stem, leaves, flower and fruit are summarized in the following table.
Position |
Physiological characteristics |
Stem |
The stem is an elongate shape, with a length up to 10m and with watery juice. It is sturdy, with many branches, in which, the small branches are slender and sometimes with pile. The tender stems are green, while the old ones are yellow green, with gray stem head, deep vein and angles. |
Leave |
The luffa is macrophyllous, with round to ovoid leaves. The leaves with a length 15-30cm, a width 12-25cm is papery or rough paper type; the vein is sunk on the surface but significantly raised on the back. There is villus in the exterior and interior, with angles or supersulcus, similar to triangle. The petiole with a length of 7-15cm is slightly rough, with villus, slender tendrils and 2-5 branches on the tips. |
Flower |
Luffa is monoecious with unisexual flowers, where, its male flowers bloom former and more in quantity than the female flowers. One female flower is bloomed at a leaf axil and young fruit can be seen under it. Thus it’s very easy to distinguish the female and male flowers. |
Fruit |
The fruit is pulpous, oblong to thick cylindrical and droopy, with a general length 20-60cm, sometimes 100cm and with a diameter generally about 15-30cm. It is smooth without any angles but with dark green veins. The tender luffas are edible, but the old ones have reticular fibers. It seeds are flat quadrature and black or white, with a length about 1.5cm. |
Health value of luffa
1. Nutrients of luffa
The fruit mesh is rich in water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, ferrum, vitamin B1, vitamin C, saponins, plant mucus, xylan, luffa amaroid and citrulline, etc, in which, the water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, mineral substance and vitamins are the main nutrients.
Water |
Protein |
Fat |
| The tender fruit of luffa is rich in water (about 95%) | Luffa contains 1.4-1.5g protein per 100g. | Luffa contains 0.1g fat per 100g. |
Carbohydrate |
Mineral substance |
Vitamin |
| Luffa contains 4.3-4.5g carbohydrate per 100g. | Luffa contains 18-28mg calcium, 39-45mg phosphorus per 100g. | It is rich in vitamin B1 and vitamin C. |
2.Nutritional value of luffa
(1) It contains vitamin B to prevent skin aging, vitamin C for whitening, thus is a rare beauty product.
(2) Luffa is helpful for females to regulate the irregular menses.
(3) High vitamin C content in luffa is antiscorbutic and able to prevent all vitamin C deficiencies.
(4) High vitamin B content in luffa is good for the brain development of children and the brain health of middle aged and elderly people.
(5) Bryonolic acid, a kind of antiallergic substance can be extracted from the luffa tissue culture medium, with strong antiallergic action.
(6) Juice of the luffa stem is able to keep the skin elasticity, beautify and remove wrinkles.
Usage of luffa1. Edible vegetable: luffa is highly evaluated in melons due to the low calorie (17calories/100g), high water content, and fresh and delicious taste. Eating much luffa is good for one’s health.
2. Court enjoying and shading, e.g. the ornamental snake melon
3. The aging fiber is called as luffa sponge, which can be used as rag or bath sponge.
4. Juice from the stem can be used as the beauty products.
5. Drug use:
(1) Root: activating blood circulation, dredging collaterals, detumescence and relieving the nasal congestion.
(2) Stem: dredging collaterals, relieving cough and reducing sputum, relieving the nasal congestion and cough.
(3) Luffa leaves: stopping bleeding, relieving cough and reducing sputum, heat-clearing and detoxifying.
(4) Fruit: clearing heat and eliminating phlegm, removing pattogenic heat from the blood and toxic material from the body, curing fever and dry mouth, relieving cough and reducing sputum and curing stranguria due to hematuria.
(5) Carpopodium: curing children’s exanthema variolosum and swelling and pain in throat.
(6) Pericarp: curing metal-inflicted wound, deep-rooted boil and hip wound.
(7) Seed: heat-clearing and reducing sputum, moistening dryness, expelling parasite, curing cough and curing constipation.