Sponge gourd, or loofah, is a climbing annual in the squash family whose mature fruit dries into a tough, fibrous sponge—the loofah sponge many people use in the shower. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, and in the US it is grown in gardens where the frost-free season is long enough. It is also called smooth luffa.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A climbing annual vine that can reach about 30 ft (9 m) in a long season and needs a strong trellis to hold the heavy fruit.
- Leaves
- Palm-shaped leaves with 3–7 shallow lobes, roughly 3–12 in (7.5–30 cm) wide.
- Flowers
- Showy yellow flowers. Male and female flowers grow separately on the same plant, as on winter squash.
- Fruit
- A cucumber-like fruit usually 12–24 in (30–60 cm) long that turns brown and lightweight when fully mature. Inside, the dry fibers surround the seeds.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Vegetable gardens
- Fences and trellises
- Range
- Native to South and Southeast Asia. In the US it is grown in home gardens, and North Carolina research has found that commercial production could be economically viable.
- Preferred conditions
- Needs full sun and a long frost-free season of about 150–200 days.
Growing it
- Care
- In cooler areas, start seeds indoors 4–6 weeks before the last frost. In zone 6 (such as southern Illinois), some fruit may have to be picked green before the first frost.
- Propagation
- Grown from seed. Where pollinators are scarce, gardeners hand-pollinate the female flowers.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- To make a sponge, crack and peel the dry skin, rinse the fibers, let them dry, and shake out the seeds.
- Young fruit picked at 4–7 in (10–18 cm) is cooked as a vegetable in many Asian cuisines.
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