Luffa Sharp-ribbed, Or Luffa Faceted

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Luffa sharp-ribbed (lat. Luffa acutangula), or Luffa faceted (with an emphasis on the first syllable) - an annual liana from the genus Luffa (Latin Luffa), ranked in the Pumpkin family (Latin Cucurbitaceae). The appearance of the plant and its abilities are very similar to a relative with the name of Egyptian Luffa (lat. Luffa aegyptiaca), only the fruit decided to distinguish itself and acquired sharp ribs so as not to be a complete reflection of a relative.

What's in your name

The generic name "Luffa" got the unique plants from the Arabic name, which sounds like "loof", which in the Middle Ages of our era the Egyptians called one of the representatives of the genus cultivated in Egypt. What ways the plant got to Egypt from its native lands located in Southeast Asia is not difficult to guess. Indeed, in all ages, the curiosity and recklessness of individual representatives of the human race pushed them into unknown distances in search of the "edge of the Earth." They never found the "End of the Earth", but they brought the seeds of strange plants, unprecedented jewelry, amazing silk fabrics and even new religions.

Since earthly plants tried to bring into a harmonious system European botanists, who first met plants of this genus in Egypt, and not, for example, in Vietnam, the name that existed in Egypt was assigned to the genus.

The specific epithet "acutangula" consists of two Latin words, which, when translated into Russian, sound like "high" and "angle". The reason for choosing such words for the epithet was the ribbed surface of the fruit of this species.

Description

The description of the vines of this species differs little from the description, for example, of the Egyptian Luffa. After all, she has the same habits of a fast-growing liana, which, in one season of her short-term life, has time to grow her pentahedral stem with rough edges up to three to six meters in length. The stem, like many terrestrial vines, clings to the support with special tendrils, rushing into the heavens.

Petioles up to twelve centimeters long reliably hold large, five to seven lobed leaves on the stem, dark green and very picturesque.

Unisexual flowers appear in the axils of the leaves, the sex of which can be determined from afar, since the male flowers prefer to be located in the form of a racemose inflorescence, and the female flowers show their pale yellow, funnel-shaped corolla alone.

Pollinated female flowers give life to club-shaped fruits, which, unlike the fruits of the Egyptian Luffa, have acquired longitudinal sharp ribs, which awarded the plant with the corresponding specific epithet. True, the ribs do not frighten people at all who love to feast on young vegetables.

The more ripe the fruit becomes, the more it loses its taste, becoming fibrous and dry, filled with numerous black ripe seeds. Such a fruit is no longer suitable for eating, but, firstly, it gives seeds for procreation, and secondly, a fibrous natural creature helps people maintain body hygiene.

For those who like to grow exotic plants, it should be noted that Luffa is sharp-ribbed, like its other relatives, needs reliable and comfortable support, and also loves warmth and an abundance of water without stagnation.

Usage

As already noted, the "sharp" ribs of the fruit do not scare off people who eat them with appetite fresh, stewed, fried, boiled and canned, while the fruits are young and have a sweetish pulp, reminiscent of cucumber. The fruits are not only tasty, but also carry out healing prophylaxis of the body, freeing it from unwanted malevolent aliens.

Unlike overgrown cucumbers, which, at best, go to feed the pigs, and if they are not available, are sent to the compost heap, the fruits of Luffa sharply ribbed ripe before turning into a dry fibrous sponge are used with much greater benefit.

They help to maintain cleanliness and elasticity of the skin, easily cleansing it of dirt, pests, as well as arranging a small massage session for it. In addition, the unique natural material is widely used in everyday life as a filter, as well as as a material for making hats and other things for which the imagination of the masters is enough.