Physical properties of loofah

Loofah has certain functions and effects, so what are the physical characteristics of loofah?

Physical characteristics of loofah:

Luffa is an annual climbing herbaceous plant of the Cucurbitaceae family. The branches are ridged, smooth or with coarse hairs on the ridges, and have tendrils. The stems are thick and usually have 2-4 branches. The leaves are alternate, with long petioles, and the leaves are palmately heart-shaped, 8-30 cm long, slightly wider than long, with wavy shallow teeth on the edges, and smooth and hairless on both sides. Unisexual flowers bloom in the axils of leaves in summer, and the plants are monoecious. The male flowers are racemes, blooming first, and the female flowers are solitary, with long petioles and light yellow corollas. The gourds are oblong and drooping, generally 20-60 cm long, and can be up to more than 1 meter long. The seeds are flat and ovate, about 1.5 cm long, and black. Luffa has a strong root system. The stems are vine-like, five-ridged, green, and the main and side vines grow luxuriantly. The stem nodes have branched tendrils and are prone to adventitious roots. The leaves are palmately or heart-shaped and covered with hairs. The plants are dioecious and have yellow corollas. Male flowers are racemes, female flowers are solitary, and the ovary is inferior. After the first female flower occurs, most stem nodes can produce female flowers. Gourd. The fruit of ordinary loofah is short cylindrical or long rod-shaped, up to 20 to 100 cm or more in length, 3 to 10 cm in diameter, without ridges, rough surface and several dark green longitudinal grooves. The fruit of ribbed loofah is rod-shaped, 25 to 60 cm long, 5 to 7 cm in diameter, with green wrinkled epidermis, 7 ridges, green or dark green. The seeds are oval, the seed coat of ordinary loofah is thin and smooth, with wing-like edges, black, white or grayish white; the seed coat of ribbed loofah is thick and wrinkled, black. Thousand-seed weight is 100 to 180 grams. Loofah is the fresh and tender fruit of the herbaceous plants of the Cucurbitaceae family, loofah and Guangdong loofah. It is cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other places. Pick in summer and autumn, scrape off the rough skin, wash and use fresh.