A loofah is a fibrous plant seed pod. The luffa plant is a cucurbit, a group of plants including gourds, pumpkins, and cucumbers. It grows as a flowering annual vine. The pollinated flowers grow cylindrical green fruits that eventually develop into a seed pod filled with many intertwined cellulose fibers. The outer skin is removed to reveal the “loofah” inside.
Sea sponges are members of the animal kingdom. They grow on the sea floor and filter food out of the water. The word sponge is often used to describe loofah and man made “sponges” with absorbent properties like sea sponges.
Luffa sponge gourds have many names, both common and scientific. They are known as loofah, smooth loofah, loofah sponge, loofa, luffa, loufa, loufah, luffah, sponge gourd, Chinese okra, elephant okra, dishrag gourd, towel gourd, and other common names in many different languages. The scientific name for the plant we grow is Luffa aegyptiaca. It may also be known as Luffa cylindrica.
There are other cultivated fiber-producing species within the Luffa genus including Luffa acutangula and Luffa operculata. Angled luffa or ridged luffa are common names for acutangula. Luffa operculata is known as the ball luffa or sponge cucumber. Humans have propagated these cultivated plants across the tropical to temperate regions of the earth.