Zone: 7+ (grow as Annual here; produces sponges when "squash" is yellow-mature 1st season; peel after dry)
Height: Vine grows to 15m (here, 5m) (16ft)
Width: 30cm (1ft)
Foliage: Wide, squash-type leaf
Flower: Yellow, squash-type
Fruit: Also squash-like, long & narrow; harvest when very ripe (yellow) and beginning to dry; peel off dry flesh, dump out seeds from inside cavities, and you have a luffa sponge!
Light: Full sun
Moisture: Ample, regular
Soil: Good, moderately rich
Garden location: Back of garden with tall support to climb
Luffa aegyptiaca (Luffa or Loofah sponge)
C$10.00Price
Luffa is eaten when young, like any squash, and is astringent, a pain-killing herb that controls bleeding, promotes healing, improves circulation and milk flow. It can be applied externally to treat shingles.
