Luffa cylindrica

• Botanical Name : Luffa cylindrica (L.) M. Roem.
• Synonyms : Momordica cylindrica L., Luffa aegyptiaca Mill.
• Common Name : Galka, Bath Sponge Gourd
• Plant Family : Cucurbitaceae
• Plant Form : Climbers
• Occurrence (Sectors) : 13, 22, 23

About Luffa cylindrica Plant :

• Habit : A large monoecious climber, with stem angled and twisted, tendrils trifid.
• Leaves : Orbicular-reniform, palmately 5-lobed, dentate, base cordate.
• Inflorescence : Axillary or solitary
• Flowers :
  • Male flowers in axillary 4-20-flowered racemes, flowers crowded at the apex, each with a small bract.
  • Calyx-lobes 5, lanceolate.
  • Petals 5, free, obovate oblong, yellow.
  • Stamens 5, distinct.Female flowers solitary.
  • Calyx and corolla same as in male flowers.
  • Staminodes usually 5.
  • Ovary inferior, cylindric-oblong, placentas 3, ovule (many, horizontal).
  • Style columnar, stigma 3-lobed.
• Fruit : Pepo, big cylindric, blunt at both ends marked with longitudinal lines, opening at the apex by a lid, seeds many, embedded in pulp.
• Flowering and Fruiting Time : July-September
• Significance :
  • Cultivated for its fruits used as vegetable.
  • The fibrous network of the dry fruits is used as bath-brush.
  • The seeds are emetic and cathartic.