Growing Luffa Squash
Channel: CentralFlaGardening
Date: 03/09/2012

Tiva discusses and shows our Luffa Squash in this video. The Loofah Gourd is a member of the Cucurbitaceae ( Gourd ) family.  It is the only plant known that can be raised and used as a sponge.It is a very fast growing annual that produce vines up to twelve feet or more.When fully matured, you can peel off the dried and crisp outer shell to expose the fibrous sponge. To clean your Loofah you wash it in clean water and then soak it in a solution of bleach and water and allow to dry in the sun. 
The luffa, loofah, or lufah (from Arabic ليفة līfah) are tropical and subtropical vines comprising the genus Luffa, the only genus of the subtribe Luffinae of the plant family Cucurbitaceae. The fruit of at least two species, Luffa acutangula and Luffa aegyptiaca (Luffa cylindrica), is grown, harvested before maturity, and eaten as a vegetable, popular in Asia and Africa.Whether spelled loofah, luffa, lufa or loofa, it remains the same: the seed pod of a very versatile vegetable. A tasty native of India and the Middle East, the Luffa aegyptiaca Mill bears a strong resemblance to a cucumber or zucchini