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Bitter Luffa
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Bitter Luffa
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Bitter Luffa, wild luffa, wild ribbed gourd, wild ridge gourd • Bengali: তিতা ধুন্দুল tita dhundul • Gujarati: કડવી ઘિસોડી kadvi ghisodi • Hindi: बन तुरई ban turai, कड़वीतुरई Karviturai, कड़वीतोरी Karvitori • Kannada: ಕಹಿಹೀರೆಯ ಬಳ್ಳಿ kahihireya balli • Konkani: कोडु घोसाळे kodu ghosaale • Manipuri: ꯃꯌꯡ ꯁꯦꯕꯣꯠ Mayang sebot • Malayalam: കാട്ടു പീച്ചില്‍ kattu peechil, കാട്ടു പീച്ചിങ്ങ kattu peechinga • Marathi: दिवाळी divali, कडूदोडकी kadu-dodaki • Sanskrit: जालिनी jalini, तिक्त कोषातकी tikta-koshataki • Tamil: ஆகாசவேணி akaca-veni, பேய்ப்பீர்க்கு pey-p-pirkku, தித்தகோசாதகி tittakocataki • Telugu: అడవి బీర adavi bira, చేదు బీర chedu bira, వెర్రి బీర verri bira • Urdu: بن ترئي ban turai • Mizo: Awmpawng
Botanical name: Luffa acutangula    Family: Cucurbitaceae (Pumpkin family)
Synonyms: Luffa acutangula var. amara, Luffa amara
Bitter Luffa is a tropical running vine with rounded leaves and yellow flowers. Both female and male flowers appear on the same plant. Leaves are angled, but little if at all lobed except on young shoots. Fruit is obovoid-oblong, both ends obtuse, conical, 5-8 cm long, 3-4 cm thick, 10-ribbed, seeds small.
Identification credit: Devendra Bharadhwaj, Gurcharan Singh, Dinesh Valke Photographed at Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra.
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