Cucurbitaceae
Luffa

Luffa echinata Roxb.

First published in Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 716 (1832)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mauritania to Somalia, Indian Subcontinent. It is a climbing annual and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Distribution

Native to:

Assam, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, India, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, West Himalaya

Synonyms

Heterotypic Synonyms

Classification

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Publications

POWO follows these authorities in accepting this name:

  • Barry, J. P. & Celles, J.S. (1991). Flore de Mauritanie 1: 1-359. Centre Regional de Documentation Pedagogique, Nice.
  • Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.
  • Brundu, G. & Camarda, I. (2013). The Flora of Chad: a checklist and brief analysis. PhytoKeys 23: 1-18.
  • Edwards, S., Tadesse, M. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(2): 1-456. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M. & Keay, R.W.J. (1954-1958). Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 1: 1-828.
  • Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.
  • Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.
  • Meena, S.L. (2012). A checklist of the vascular plants of Banaskantha district, Gujarat, India. Nelumbo 54: 39-91.
  • Nazimuddin, S. & Naqvi, S.S.H. (1984). Flora of Pakistan 154: 1-56. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi.
  • Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.
  • Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
  • Peyre de Fabregues, B. & Lebrun, J.-P. (1976). Catalogue des Plantes Vascularies du Niger: 1-433. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Renner, S.S. & Pandey, A.K. (2013). The Cucurbitaceae of India: Accepted names, synonyms, geographic distribution, and information on images and DNA sequences. PhytoKeys 20: 53-118.
  • Sharma, M., Jerath, N. & Chadha, J. (2009). Material for the flora of Punjab state - XVI: a supplement. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 33: 585-588.
  • Sikarwar, R.L.S. (2014). Angiosperm diversity assessment of Chitrakootthe legendary place of Vindhyan range, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 38: 563-619.
  • Thulin, M. (ed.) (1993). Flora of Somalia 1: 1-493. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Cogn. & Harms in Engl. Pflanzenr. Cucurbit. 2: 73.
  • —F.T.A. 2: 531

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Barry, J. P. & Celles, J.S. (1991). Flore de Mauritanie 1: 1-359. Centre Regional de Documentation Pedagogique, Nice.
  • Boudet, G., Lebrun, J.P. & Demange, R. (1986). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Mali: 1-465. Etudes d'Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux.
  • Brundu, G. & Camarda, I. (2013). The Flora of Chad: a checklist and brief analysis. PhytoKeys 23: 1-18.
  • Edwards, S., Tadesse, M. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(2): 1-456. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Hutchinson, J., Dalziel, J.M. & Keay, R.W.J. (1954-1958). Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 1: 1-828.
  • Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.
  • Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
  • Peyre de Fabregues, B. & Lebrun, J.-P. (1976). Catalogue des Plantes Vascularies du Niger: 1-433. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
  • Renner, S.S. & Pandey, A.K. (2013). The Cucurbitaceae of India: Accepted names, synonyms, geographic distribution, and information on images and DNA sequences. PhytoKeys 20: 53-118.
  • Sharma, M., Jerath, N. & Chadha, J. (2009). Material for the flora of Punjab state - XVI: a supplement. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 33: 585-588.
  • Thulin, M. (ed.) (1993). Flora of Somalia 1: 1-493. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by C. Jeffrey & M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Other Data

Other Kew resources that provide information on this taxon:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
s.coll. [s.n.] India K003451311 Yes
s.coll. [3406] Cameroon K003451549 Yes
Haines, H.H. [3292] K003451307 Yes
Schweinfurth Sudan K003451576 Yes
Petherick Sudan K003451579 Yes
Toll, J. [s.n.] Chad K003451547 Yes
Carr, C.J. Ethiopia K003451588 Yes
Stocks [s.n.] India K003451312 Yes
Dr Schweinfurth Sudan K003451585 Yes
Edgeworth [3018] India K000592619 Yes
Dr Pfund Egypt K003451583 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Cameroon K003451550 Yes
s.coll. [42] K003451304 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] India K003451314 Yes
Stocks [s.n.] India K003451313 Yes
Schweinfurth (Dr) Sudan K003451586 Yes
Friis, I.; Bidgood, S.; Malaku Wandefrash; Gashaw Gibre-Hiwot Ethiopia K003451590 Yes
Wickens, G.E. [[3]549] Nigeria K003451514 Yes
Schweinfurth, G. Sudan K003451582 Yes
Andrews, F.W. Sudan K003451574 Yes
[122] K000310186 Unknown Type Material Yes
Kurz, S. [s.n.] India K003451309 Yes
s.coll. [3406] Cameroon K003451548 Yes
Schweinfurth (Dr) Sudan K003451577 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] India K003451315 Yes
s.coll. [Cat. no. 6756] India K001124740 Unknown Type Material Yes
Friis, I.; Bidgood, S.; Malaku Wandefrash; Gashaw Gibre-Hiwot Ethiopia K003451591 Yes
Wallich, N. [Cat. no. 6756] India K001124739 Unknown Type Material Yes
Schweinfurth, G. Sudan K003451575 Yes
Mehrotra, B.N. [11781] India K003451310 Yes
Andrews, F.W. Sudan K003451581 Yes
[T. Ctauder] Sudan K003451578 Yes
Speke (Capt.); Grant Sudan K003451580 Yes
Friis, I.; Bidgood, S.; Malaku Wandefrash; Gashaw Gibre-Hiwot Ethiopia K003451592 Yes
Newell, C.D. [1456] Nigeria K003451515 Yes
Friis, I.; Bidgood, S.; Malaku Wandefrash; Gashaw Gibre-Hiwot Ethiopia K003451589 Yes
Clarke, C.B. [4652] India K003451305 Yes
Edgeworth [3018] India K000592618 Yes
Duthie, J.F. [9495] K003451308 Yes
Drummond, J.R. [24993] India K003451306 Yes
Schweinfurth, G. Sudan K003451587 Yes
Pfund, J. Sudan K003451584 Yes
Barber, C.A. [5296] India Luffa echinata var. longistyla K003451303 Yes

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Art and Illustrations in Digifolia

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0