The luffa, loofah, or lufah (from Arabic ) are tropical and subtropicalvines comprising the genusLuffa, the only genus of the subtribeLuffinae. The fruit is grown, harvested before maturity, andeaten as a vegetable, popular in Asia and Africa.
The ripe, dried fruit is also the source of the loofah or plantsponge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luffa
Sponge Cucumber 丝瓜