1, flower towel gourd: annual climbing vine; Stems and branches are rough, ribbed and puberulent. Tendrils slightly stout, pubescent, usually 2-4-pronged. Petiole rough, long 10- 12 cm, with inconspicuous grooves, nearly glabrous; Leaf blade triangular or nearly round, about10-20cm in length and width, usually palmately 5-7-lobed, lobes triangular, longer in the middle, 8-12cm in length, acute or tapering at the top, serrated at the edge, deeply heart-shaped at the base, 2-3cm in bending depth and 2-2.5cm in width.

2, towel gourd: annual climbing vine; Stems and branches are rough, ribbed and puberulent. Tendrils slightly stout, pubescent, usually 2-4-pronged. Petiole rough, long 10- 12 cm, with inconspicuous grooves, nearly glabrous; Leaf blade triangular or nearly round, about10-20cm in length and width, usually palmately 5-7-lobed, lobes triangular, longer in the middle, 8-12cm in length, acute or tapering at the top, serrated at the edge, deeply heart-shaped at the base, 2-3cm in bending depth and 2-2.5cm in width.

3, stick towel gourd: stick towel gourd is a local variety in Beijing. The plant is creeping, growing strongly, and its leaves are palmately lobed. The flower is solitary, cucurbit-shaped, slightly thick at the tail, 33-37 cm long, 3-3.6 cm in transverse diameter, with green skin, 10 green linear protrusions and fluffy. The meat is 0.5 ~ 0.6 cm thick, white, soft and of medium quality. The weight of single melon150g or so. The yield per hectare is 22,500 ~ 30,000 kg. This variety has strong heat resistance, not cold tolerance and relatively moisture tolerance, and can be used for cultivation in autumn and winter in solar greenhouse.

4. Snake-shaped Luffa: This variety is a rare variety with slender melon strips, thick meat, less fiber, heat resistance, disease resistance, high yield and high quality. The plant has a strong growth potential, with the first female flower appearing in the 7 ~ 8 nodes of the main vine, and then the female flower appears continuously. The melon is rod-shaped, with a length of130 ~170 cm and a transverse diameter of 3 ~ 5 cm, which looks like a snake melon. The skin is green, the meat is tender, the fiber is few, and the quality is excellent. It can be used as a cultivation seed in solar greenhouse.

Growth and distribution of luffa;

1, Luffa is a short-day crop, which likes strong sunlight and is resistant to weak light. In the seedling stage, short sunshine and large temperature difference are beneficial to the differentiation of female flower buds, early fruiting and high yield. In the whole growth period, short sunshine and high temperature are beneficial to the growth and development of stems and leaves, which can maintain healthy nutritional growth, flowering and fruit setting, the development of young melons and the improvement of yield.

loofah

2. Luffa is a thermophilic and heat-resistant crop. The suitable temperature for the growth and development of Luffa is 20-30℃, and the suitable temperature for the germination of Luffa seeds is 28-30℃, which germinates rapidly at 30-35℃.

3. Luffa likes humidity and is afraid of drought. When the soil humidity is high and the water content is above 70%, it grows slowly when it is below 50%, and the air humidity should not be less than 60%. At 75%-85%, the growth rate is fast and there are many melons. When the air humidity reaches saturation in a short time, it can still grow and develop normally.

4. Luffa is a vegetable crop with strong adaptability and not strict requirements for soil. It can be cultivated in all kinds of soil. However, in order to obtain high yield, loam and sandy loam with thick soil layer, high organic matter content, good air permeability and strong water and fertilizer conservation ability should be selected. They are widely cultivated in southern and northern China, and also in temperate and tropical regions of the world. There are wild ones in southern Yunnan, but the fruits are short and small.

Propagation mode of loofah:

1, the temperature is high in summer, and the seedlings emerge quickly. Generally, direct seeding can be used. Soak the seeds for 3-4 hours before sowing or accelerate germination for 24 hours after soaking. Single row and two plants, the hole spacing is 30-40 cm, 3-4 seeds are placed in each hole, covered with soil 1.5 cm, covered with gauze and watered.

2. After emergence, leave 2 seedlings in each hole.