What is "luffa"

n. (alternative spelling of loofah English)

1. n. the dried fibrous part of the fruit of a plant of the genus Luffa; used as a washing sponge or strainer [syn: loofa, loofah, loufah sponge]

2. any of several tropical annual climbers having large yellow flowers and edible young fruits; grown commercially for the mature fruit's dried fibrous interior that is used as a sponge [syn: dishcloth gourd, sponge gourd, rag gourd, strainer vine]

Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the cucumber ( Cucurbitaceae) family.

In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah, usually means the fruit of the two species L. aegyptiaca and L. acutangula. The fruit of these species is cultivated and eaten as a vegetable. The fruit must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. The vegetable is popular in China and Vietnam. When the fruit is fully ripened, it is very fibrous. The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge which is used in bathrooms and kitchens. Luffa are not frost-hardy, and require 150 to 200 warm days to mature.

The name luffa was taken by European botanists in the 17th century from the Egyptian Arabic name لوف lūf.