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Taxon:  Luffa aegyptiaca Mill.



Summary
Genus:
Luffa
Family:
Cucurbitaceae
Tribe:
Sicyoeae
Nomen number:
22788
Place of publication:
Gard. dict. ed. 8: Luffa. 1768
Verified:
06/12/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Cucurbita luffa hort.
Luffa cylindrica M. Roem.
Luffa pentandra Roxb.
Momordica cylindrica L.
Momordica luffa L.
No images
Reference(s)
  1. Bibliograf, S. A., eds. Vox modern college Spanish & English dictionary. 1964
  2. Burkill, H. M. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. 1985-2004 Note: = L. cylindrica M. Roem.
  3. Committee on Stabilization. 1975. Report of the standing committee on stabilization of specific names. Taxon 24:174. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iapt/tax
  4. Correa, J. E. & H. Y. Bernal. 1991. Especies vegetales promisorias de los paises del Convenio Andres Bello. 1989-1998 6:271-290.
  5. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002
  6. Erhardt, W. et al. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen. 2008
  7. Exell, A. W. 1933. Correct botanical name of the Luffa sponge. J. Bot. 71:352.
  8. Filipowicz, N. et al. 2014. Revisiting Luffa (Cucurbitaceae) 25 years after C. Heiser: Species boundaries and application of names tested with plastid and nuclear DNA sequences. Syst. Bot. 39:205-215. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
  9. Hamid, S. et al. 1995. Medicinal plants of family Cucurbitaceae of Pakistan (part II). Hamdard 38:99.
  10. Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica. 2003-
  11. Heiser, C. B. & E. L. Schilling. 1990. The genus Luffa: a problem in phytogeography. Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae. 1990 123.
  12. Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992 Note: = L. cylindrica M. Roem.
  13. Kartesz, J. T. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 1994
  14. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. 1996 Note: = L. cylindrica M. Roem.
  15. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. Hortus third. 1976
  16. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. 1998
  17. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000 Note: American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, MD
  18. Nicolson, D. H. et al. 1988. An interpretation of Van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus. Regnum Veg. 119:97.
  19. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource). http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Frontpage.html
  20. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994
  21. Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 1989- 8:194-196. http://proseanet.org
  22. Suresh, C. R. A commentary on Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus.
  23. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994- http://www.efloras.org/browse.aspx?flora_id=2
Common names
English
dishrag gourd –
loofah –
rag gourd –
smooth loofah –
sponge gourd –
vegetable-sponge –
French
courge torchon –
pétole –
German
Schwammgurke –
Japanese Rōmaji
hechima –
Portuguese
esponja-vegetal –
Spanish
estropajo –
paste –
Transcribed Chinese
si gua –
Transcribed Korean
susemioi –
Urdu (Pakistan)
ghia tori –
Distribution
Cultivated (cult. throughout tropics)
Other (origin Asia or possibly Africa)
Economic Uses
Human food
Materials
fiber (of fruit for sponges fide Biol Cucurb 327. 1990; Hamdard 38:99. 1995) –
Medicines
folklore (fide CRC MedHerbs ed2; Herbs Commerce ed2; Hamdard 38:99. 1995) –


NGBT Plant Germplasm System Distribution Policy

Plant germplasm is distributed to scientists, educators, producers and other bona fide research and education entities from National genebank of Tunisia active collection sites. The NGBT Curator and/or Research Leader will, in accordance with current NPGS policies and procedures, determine the legitimacy of a request when necessary.

Distributions to fulfill requests for repatriation of subsamples of germplasm collections to a country or community of origin, especially following natural or man-made catastrophes, are considered a high priority.

Although distributions for research, education, and repatriation are of the highest priority, the NPGS also encourages various seed-saver organizations and public gardens to conduct germplasm conservation activities that engage many individuals and groups throughout the country. Elements of the NPGS cooperate with seed-saver organizations and public gardens and may store germplasm for and distribute germplasm to such organizations.

Distribution of germplasm from NPGS collections to fulfill requests from individuals seeking free germplasm strictly for home use is generally considered an inappropriate use of limited resources and conflicts with U.S. Government policy of not competing with commercial enterprises. Requestors can be asked, in an appropriate manner, to justify the use of specific NPGS germplasm instead of suitable commercially available germplasm.

Accessions listed in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) database as “not available” due to insufficient or low viability seed and/or scheduled for regeneration will generally not be available for distribution.

Other accessions are listed in GRIN as “not available” because they are not a part of the NPGS collection per se, but are conserved in NPGS genebanks to meet specific needs as described later in the section entitled “Categories of Germplasm Distributed and Availability.” In this category are certain accessions of improved germplasm that are only available from the owner/developer. Other accessions require that specific conditions be met by the requestor before distribution is possible.

NPGS sites will not distribute germplasm internationally when they cannot comply with the importation or quarantine requirements of the recipient country unless the requestor can provide a valid waiver of such requirements.