Luffa cylindrica

Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash and gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah or less frequently loofa, usually refers to the fruits of the species Luffa aegyptiaca and Luffa acutangula. It is cultivated and eaten as a vegetable, but must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. The vegetable is popular in Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. When the fruit fully ripens, it becomes too fibrous for eating. The fully developed fruit is the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge. In October 2025, the world record for the heaviest luffa was broken at the North Carolina State Fair. The luffa, grown in Graham, NC weighed 11 lb 3.3 oz (5.08 kg).