Luffa aegyptiaca
Origin: Vietnam
Improvement status: Landrace
Seeds per packet: ~15
Germination tested 12/2023: 68%
Life cycle: Annual
Mướp Hương is the Vietnamese name for the smooth luffa gourd popular as a vegetable in many tropical places, especially in Southeast Asia. Fruits are usually consumed when young (up to around a foot in length or a bit more), but the fully ripe fruit can make a good scrubbing brush as other luffas. When eaten as a vegetable, the skin is usually peeled first. The tender insides are used in soups, stirfries, and — especially in China and Taiwan — as a traditional filling ingredient for dumplings.
Our seed was grown by our friends Corrie and Jose Spellman-Lopez in Vineland, New Jersey. They got their stock seed from the great folks at Truelove Seeds who note on their website the many names that this vegetable bears: "dishcloth gourd, vegetable gourd, scented melon, melon pillow, smooth luffa, edible luffa, Egyptian cucumber, Vietnamese luffa, and loofah."
GROWING TIPS: Direct sow after all danger of frost has passed in rich soil with a good trellis, fence, or tree for the vines to climb. You could start these a few weeks before last frost if you're in a short-season area.
NOTE: Image of fruit is from Forest and Kim Starr, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 us license.
