Luffa acutangula
| Luffa acutangula | |
|---|---|
| File:Luffa acutangula Chinese okra.jpg | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Luffa |
| Species: | L. acutangula
|
| Binomial name | |
| Luffa acutangula | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
List
| |
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.[1] It is also grown as a houseplant in places with colder climates. English 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.[2]
Uses
[edit | edit source]The young fruits of some Luffa cultivars are used as cooked vegetables or pickled or eaten raw, and the shoots and flowers are sometimes also used.[3] 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.[3]
Gallery
[edit | edit source]-
Extrafloral nectar glands[4] with Oecophylla smaragdina ants
-
Female flower
-
Male flower
![Extrafloral nectar glands[4] with Oecophylla smaragdina ants](/index.php/File:Glands_in_probract_that_attract_ants.jpg){kind=link}
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ M.M.P.N.D. - Sorting Luffa names. Plantnames.unimelb.edu.au (2000-02-06). Retrieved on 2014-05-26.
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar at line 165: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
