Luffa aegyptiaca

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens from wild populations. Cultivated occurrences are not mapped. View county names by placing the cursor over the map.

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Family:	CUCURBITACEAE
Species:	Luffa aegyptiaca Mill.
Common Name:	VEGETABLE SPONGE; LOOFAH
Plant Notes:	The name Luffa cylindrica is sometimes applied to this species (Jarvis 2007).
Status:	Not Native
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	CUCURBITALES
Family	CUCURBITACEAE
Genus	Luffa
Species	Luffa aegyptiaca Mill. - VEGETABLE SPONGE; LOOFAH

Citation

Citation	LUFFA AEGYPTIACA Miller, Gard. Dict., ed. 8. 1768.
Basionym:	Momordica luffa Linnaeus 1753.
Type:	INDIA: Without data (lectotype: LINN 1150.6). Lectotypified by C. Jeffrey, in Milne-Redhead & Polhill, Fl. Trop. E. Afr., Cucurbitac. 76. 1967.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Hillsborough	USF
Miami-Dade	FTG
Monroe Mainland	FTG

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Luffa cylindrica	Luffa cylindrica (Linnaeus) M. Roemer ex T. Durand & H. Durand, Syll. Fl. Congol. 229. 1909, non M. Roemer 1846.	BASIONYM: Momordica cylindrica Linnaeus 1753.
Luffa cylindrica	Luffa cylindrica M. Roemer, Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 2: 63. 1846.
Luffa pentandra	Luffa pentandra Roxburgh, Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 712. 1832, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Luffa aegyptiaca Miller 1768; Momordica luffa Linnaeus 1753.
Momordica cylindrica	Momordica cylindrica Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1009. 1753.		TYPE: Without data (lectotype: LINN 1150.9). Lectotypified by Wunderlin, in Woodson et al., Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 65: 329. 1978.
Momordica luffa	Momordica luffa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1009. 1753.		TYPE: INDIA: Without data (lectotype: LINN 1150.6). Lectotypified by Jeffrey, in Milne-Redhead & Polhill, Fl. Trop. E. Afr., Cucurbitac. 76. 1967.
Momordica reticulata	Momordica reticulata Salisbury, Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton 158. 1796, nom. illegit.	BASIONYM: Momordica luffa Linnaeus 1753.
Turia cylindrica	Turia cylindrica (Linnaeus) J. F. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 403. 1791.	BASIONYM: Momordica cylindrica Linnaeus 1753.
Cucumis lineatus	Cucumis lineatus Bosc, J. Hist. Nat. 2: 251, t. 37. 1792.		TYPE: GUYANA:
Cucumis megacarpus	Cucumis megacarpus G. Don, Gen. Hist. 3: 28. 1836.
Cucurbita multiflora	Cucurbita multiflora G. Forster ex Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 3: 45. 1826.
Luffa aegyptiaca var. peramara	Luffa aegyptiaca Miller, var. peramara F. M. Bailey, Syn. Queensl. Fl., suppl. 3. 29. 1890.		TYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Mulgrave River, s.d., Bailey s.n. (holotype: BRI).
Luffa cattu-picinna	Luffa cattu-picinna Seringe, in de Candolle, Prodr. 3: 303. 1828.		TYPE: INDIA: Kerala: Malabar, without data (holotype: Rheede, Hort. Malab. 8: t. 8. 1688).
Luffa clavata	Luffa clavata Roxburgh, Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 714. 1832.		TYPE: INDIA:
Luffa cordata	Luffa cordata (J. F. Gmelin) Meisner ex M. Roemer, Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 2: 67. 1846.	BASIONYM: Turia cordata J. F. Gmelin 1791.
Luffa cylindrica var. insularum	Luffa cylindrica M. Roemer, var. insularum (A. Gray) Cogniaux, in Alph. de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 3: 459. 1881.	BASIONYM: Luffa insularum A. Gray 1854.
Luffa cylindrica var. leiocarpa	Luffa cylindrica M. Roemer, var. leiocarpa Naudin, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser. 4. 12: 121. 1859.
Luffa cylindrica var. minima	Luffa cylindrica M. Roemer, var. minima Naudin, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser. 4. 16: 165. 1862.
Luffa cylindrica var. multiflora	Luffa cylindrica M. Roemer, var. multiflora (G. Forster ex Sprengel) Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 89: 632. 1929.	BASIONYM: Cucurbita multiflora G. Forster ex Sprengel 1826.
Luffa cylindrica var. triangularis	Luffa cylindrica M. Roemer, var. triangularis Cogniaux, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 21: 209. 1895.
Luffa insularum	Luffa insularum A. Gray, in Wilkes, U.S. Expl. Exped. 15: 644. 1854.		TYPE: FIJI: Vanua Levu, Mathuata Prov., 1840, U.S. Exploring Expedition s.n. (lectotype: US). Lectotypified by A. C. Smith, Fl. Vit. Nova 2: 682. 1981.
Luffa leiocarpa	Luffa leiocarpa (Naudin) F. Mueller, Fragm. 3: 107. 1862.	BASIONYM: Luffa cylindrica M. Roemer, var. leiocarpa Naudin 1859.
Luffa leucosperma	Luffa leucosperma M. Roemer, Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 2: 63. 1846.
Luffa parvula	Luffa parvula Buchanan-Hamilton ex M. Roemer, Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 2: 65. 1846.		TYPE: INDIA:
Luffa petola	Luffa petola Seringe, in de Candolle, Prodr. 3: 303. 1828.
Luffa racemosa	Luffa racemosa Roxburgh, Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 715. 1832.		TYPE: INDIA:
Luffa satpatia	Luffa satpatia Buchanan-Hamilton ex M. Roemer, Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 2: 63. 1846.		TYPE: INDIA:
Luffa scabra	Luffa scabra Schumacher & Thonning, in Schumacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl. 405. 1827.
Luffa striata	Luffa striata Schrader, Linnaea 11(Litt. Ber.): 88. 1837.
Luffa sylvestris	Luffa sylvestris Miquel, Fl. Ned. Ind. 1: 666. 1856.
Luffa veitchii	Luffa veitchii Naudin, Rev. Hort. 1873: 58. 1873.
Melothria touchanensis	Melothria touchanensis H. Léveillé, Fl. Kouy-Tcheou 122. 1914.		TYPE: CHINA: Guizhou: Dushon, s.d., Bodinier s.n. (holotype: E).
Momordica carinata	Momordica carinata Vellozo, Fl. Flumin. 419. 1881; Icon. 10: t. 97. 1831 ("1827").		TYPE: BRAZIL:
Poppya fabiana	Poppya fabiana K. Koch, Allg. Gartenzeitung 1857: 60. 1857.
Turia cordata	Turia cordata J. F. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 403. 1791.

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen	Notes
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	10 Jun 1986	R. P. Wunderlin 10206
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	06 Dec 2015	A. R. Franck 3987	Sheet 3 of 4.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	06 Dec 2015	A. R. Franck 3987	Sheet 4 of 4.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	06 Dec 2015	A. R. Franck 3987	Sheet 2 of 4.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	06 Dec 2015	A. R. Franck 3987	Sheet 1 of 4.
USA	Florida	Hillsborough Co.	Dec 1971	D. Burch 5589	CULTIVATED.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines	St. Vincent	St. Andrew Par.	24 Feb 1965	G. R. Proctor 25898
Puerto Rico		Humacao Mun.	01 Dec 1981	B. F. Hansen 9546
Colombia	Huila Dept.		08 Jan 1974	A. Gentry 8981
Peru	Amazonas		09 Jul 1974	B. Berlin 1550	CULTIVATED.
Colombia	Valle Dept.		12 Jul 1984	A. Gentry 47966
Mexico	Guerrero		Aug 1984	B. Lopez C. 7-50
Mexico	Veracruz	Tlacotalpan Mun.	01 Feb 1984	M. Nee 29202
Mexico	Oaxaca		Oct 1995	B. Martínez s.n.
Peru	Loreto	Alto Amazonas Prov.	31 Jul 1979	C. Diaz 1308
Paraguay	Central Dept.		Oct 1991	B. Pérez 1273
Colombia	Amazonas Dept.		18 Nov 1974	A. Gentry 12746
Colombia	Caquetá Dept.		11 Jan 1974	G. Davidse 5717
Ecuador	Napo Prov.		05 Nov 1974	A. Gentry 12479
Ecuador	Guayas Prov.		25 Oct 1981	C. H. Dodson 11950
Ecuador	Guayas Prov.		25 Oct 1981	C. H. Dodson 11950
Costa Rica	Guanacaste Prov.		08 Sep 1975	J. E. Poppleton 552

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

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Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
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State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

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Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

Web Development: USF Water Institute

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org websites

Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2024. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

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