Luffa aegyptiaca

Luffa aegyptiaca, the sponge gourd, Egyptian cucumber, or Vietnamese luffa, is a species of Luffa cultivated for its fruit. The plant is an annual vine, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The botanical specific epithet 'aegyptiaca' was given to this plant in the 16th century when European botanists were introduced to the plant from its cultivation in Egypt. In the European botanical literature, the plant was first described by Johann Veslingius in 1638, who named it 'Egyptian cucumber'. Veslingius also introduced the name 'Luffa'. The fruit, approximately 30 cm (12 in) long, resembles a cucumber in shape and size. Owing to its striking yellow flowers, Luffa aegyptiaca is occasionally grown as an ornamental. Luffa aegyptiaca is best grown with a trellis support. It requires lots of heat and lots of water to thrive. The young fruit is eaten as a vegetable and is commonly grown for that purpose in tropical Asia. Unlike the young fruit, the fully ripened fruit is strongly fibrous and inedible, and is used to make scrubbing bath sponges. Due to the use as a scrubbing sponge, it is also known by the common names dishrag gourd, rag gourd, sponge gourd, and vegetable-sponge. It is also called smooth luffa to distinguish it from the ridged luffa (Luffa acutangula), which is used for the same purposes. An edible oil can be extracted from the seeds. The resulting oil meal can be fed to rabbits and catfish, or used as a fertilizer. In Israel, Luffa aegyptiaca has been in use since the time of the Late Roman Empire. Young fruits were used for food. Mature fruits were used as bath sponges. Luffa aegyptiaca fruits were decorated for the first time in art of the Byzantine era in Israel only. The fruits were decorated on mosaics of churches and Jewish synagogues in Israel.