Luffa aegyptiaca
Sponge gourd ( Luffa aegyptiaca )
The sponge gourd ( Luffa aegyptiaca, often cylindrica L. ) is a crop of the ancient world, which belongs to the gourd family ( Cucurbitaceae ).
Features
The sponge gourd, like all members of the genus Luffa up to 15 meters long expectant, prostrate or ascending climber. The shoot axis is hairy pentagon and easily. The 1-15 inches long stalked leaves are large (up to 18 × 23 cm), slightly lobed to deeply and have white to silvery spots in the nerve branches. The vines are divided three to five times.
The male flowers are in clusters with 7-32 long, finely hairy inflorescence stems. The flower stems are three to twelve millimeters long, also covered with fine hair. The bracts are fused with the flower stems, spatulate, glandular and two to six millimeters long. The flower tube is covered with fine hair and three to seven millimeters long. The sepals are 9-14 mm long, triangular, pointed and sometimes glandular. The corolla is bright yellow, the petals 2-4.5 cm long and 1-3.5 cm wide. Most five stamens are present, rarely three.
The female flowers appear singly in a 2.5-14.5 -inch-long flower stalk. The ovary is 20-40 millimeters long and two to seven millimeters wide, hairy cylindrical and dense. The crown is similar to that of the male flowers.
The fruit is ( 6-35 ) × ( 2.5-6 ) inches tall. Cultured specimens have an average length of 60 to 80 centimeters. Larger specimens are sorted from region to region, in the presence of mineral- rich soils, possible. The shape is ellipsoidal to cylindrical. The seeds are (10-15) × (6-11) × (2-3 ) mm large, broadly elliptic, rounded at the ends, flat, and narrow, winged edge. The surface is matt black and smooth.
Dissemination
Wild forms occur until after northeastern Australia and the South Pacific region of south-central Asia. The domesticated forms are also widespread throughout tropical Asia, Africa, America and Latin America. Naturally, the species grows on river banks up to 1,000 meters above sea level.
Cultivation
The sponge gourd grows best on fertile, slightly acidic to neutral soils in the sunny, hot and humid tropics. It is grown in the dry season, the cultivation is carried out up to 1000 meters above sea level. The main producing countries are Egypt, Korea, China, Guatemala, Colombia and Paraguay. Also in the southern USA sponge gourds are grown commercially.
There are a number of local breeds and varieties. In China, there is a great variety; so be on the Yangtze langfrüchtige varieties such as ' Xian -si - kua ' (鲜 丝瓜Xiānsīguā ) and ' Hu -Lu - qing ' (葫芦Hulu ) grown, the fruits of which are up to 150 inches long.
Unripe fruits can be harvested 40 to 80 days after sowing, ripe fruit three months later. For commercial processing as a natural sponge harvest time Punk falls to the period when the fruit body takes on the yellow color and is dotted with small brown spots. In Japan, yields of up to 50 tonnes per hectare can be achieved for ripe fruit.
Use
To the west of the sponge gourd is almost exclusively used as a sponge: the fibrous interior of the ( mature ) fruit ( endocarp ) is used as a bath sponge in various designs, but also to kitchen mops, pet toys, sandal soles, cushion fillings processed and others. In the early 20th century, the sponges were also used as an oil filter, especially in steam ships - then Japan and Brazil were the main suppliers.
In Asia, the sponge gourd is primarily a vegetable: the (immature ) fruit is widely used in Asian cuisine, like the zucchini in the West. Because of its high vitamin content, sponge gourd is also considered very healthy.
From the sponge gourd, combined with other plant materials and waste plastic panels for construction and furniture making are manufactured in Paraguay.
Taxonomy
Next to the name Luffa aegyptiaca Luffa cylindrica is also (L.) Roem. often common. After the Standing Committee on Stabilization of Specific Names Luffa aegyptiaca but is the valid name. Other synonyms are Momordica luffa cylindrica L.und Momordica L., both published by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum in 1753. However, the type of Miller was later transferred to a new genus Luffa.