Luffa acutangula

Luffa acutangula
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Luffa
Species:	L. acutangula
Binomial name
Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.
Synonyms
List Cucumis acutangulus L. Cucurbita acutangula (L.) Blume Cucumis lineatus Bosc Cucumis megacarpus G.Don Cucumis operculatus Roxb. Cucurbita campanulata D.Dietr. Cucurbita umbellata J.G.Klein ex Willd. Luffa amara Roxb. Luffa cattu-picinna Ser. Luffa drastica Mart. Luffa fluminensis M.Roem. Luffa foetida Cav. Luffa forskalii Beck & F.Abel Luffa forskalii Schweinf. ex Harms Luffa gosa Buch.-Ham. Luffa hermaphrodita N.B.Singh & U.C.Bhattach. Luffa kleinii Wight & Arn. Luffa plukenetiana Ser. Luffa tenera Royle Luffa umbellata (J.G.Klein ex Willd.) M.Roem.

Luffa acutangula is a cucurbitaceous vine that is commercially grown for its unripe fruits as a vegetable. Mature fruits are used as natural cleaning sponges. Its fruit slightly resembles a cucumber or zucchini with ridges. It is native to South Asia and has been naturalised in other regions. It is also grown as a houseplant in places with colder climates. In English, its common names include angled luffa, Chinese okra, dish cloth gourd, ridged gourd, sponge gourd, vegetable gourd, strainer vine, ribbed loofah, silky gourd, and silk gourd.

Morphology

The roots of the plant are yellowish brown in color and cylindrical in shape. Longitudinal wrinkles on root contribute to their rough texture. Five angled, glabrous stem is brownish yellow in color along with tendrils up to 6-fid. Its flowers are regular, unisexual and consist of yellow petals. Female flowers are yellow colored, 2–15 cm long on pedicels, with inferior, longitudinally ridged ovary and 3-lobed stigma while male flowers are light greenish in color and consist of three free stamens with yellow corolla inserted into the receptacle tube. Leaves are simple, alternate and orbicular in outline with 15–20 cm long, palmately 5–7 angled, triangular to broadly rounded lobes and pale green in color. Veins and vein islets are prominent. Fruits are cylindrical, pale yellowish-brown in color, bitter in taste, tapered toward the base and are covered with 8–10 prominent ribs. Inner part of the fruit is three chambered, fibrous and easily detachable from the outer part. Seeds are elliptical and black colored.

Ethnopharmacology

A local inhabitant from reserve forest of Mahadevpur (previously in Andhra Pradesh now in Telangana) widely uses the fruit for diabetes treatment.

Application of pulverized leaves is reported to be useful in splenitis, hemorrhoids, ringworm infection, and leprosy while the juice of the leaves is administered into the eye for treatment of granular conjunctivitis in children.

Uses

The young fruit of some Luffa cultivars are used as cooked vegetables or pickled or eaten raw, and the shoots and flowers are sometimes also used. Like Luffa aegyptiaca, the mature fruits are harvested when dry and processed to remove all but the fruit fibre, which can then be used as a sponge or as fibre for making hats.

Nutritional Value

Vitamins

• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Essential for energy production and cellular function.
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin): Helps maintain healthy skin and nerves, and improves digestion.
• Vitamin C: Acts as an antioxidant, boosts the immune system, and aids in the absorption of iron.
• Carotene: A precursor to Vitamin A, important for vision, immune function, and skin health.

Minerals

• Calcium: Vital for bone health and muscular function.
• Phosphorus: Plays a role in the formation of bones and teeth, and helps the body utilize carbohydrates and fats.
• Iron: Crucial for the formation of hemoglobin and oxygen transport in the blood.

Gallery

• 
  Extrafloral nectar glands with Oecophylla smaragdina ants
• 
  Female flower
• 
  Male flower

See also

• Okra