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Useful Tropical Plants

Luffa sepium

(G.Mey.) C.Jeffrey

Cucurbitaceae

+ Synonyms

Cucumis sepium G.Mey.

Luffa astorii Svenson

Luffa operculata (L.) Cogn.

Luffa purgans (Mart.) Mart.

Momordica operculata L.

Momordica purgans Mart.

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Luffa sepium is a scrambling annual herb with tendrilled stems that scramble over the ground, rocks and low shrubs[
428
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 65
Publication
 
Author
 
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden
Year
1978
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains parts of the Flora of Panama.
]
The plant is often locally cultivated in its native area as a medicinal plant and for the fruit, which can be used to make a sponge[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

428
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 65
Publication
 
Author
 
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden
Year
1978
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains parts of the Flora of Panama.

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, north to Panama.

Habitat

Scrambling over rocks and low shrubs in thickets, open areas, usually near the edge of rivers, ponds, or in coastal plains[
428
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 65
Publication
 
Author
 
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden
Year
1978
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains parts of the Flora of Panama.
]

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitAnnual
Height0.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is used medicinally[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
]. It contains cucurbitacins and saponins, which act as purgatives[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Other Uses

The fruits, after the removal of the soft material, can be used as sponges[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
428
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 65
Publication
 
Author
 
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden
Year
1978
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains parts of the Flora of Panama.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Luffa+sepium>

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