Hi...
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Luffa plants or bak pik (bak pok) in terms of Acehnese people when viewed from the side of biology, based on their classification and morphology, are actually included in the type of fruit. But many people call them vegetables. this can be justified, because people see it from the culinary side.
If viewed from the culinary side, there will be many different fruits or tubers that fall into the vegetable category. Like tomatoes, cucumber fruit, squash fruit, potato bulbs and so on.
The stem has four or five angles with branching tendrils. The surface of coarse leaves is similar to cucumber leaves, but larger and more angular with more diverse lobes. Yellow flowers, about 4-5 cm in diameter, 4-10 male flowers florets, clustered in bunches and armpit leaves, female flowers grow singly on the same armpit, flowering in the afternoon.
This plant produces a lot of fruit. When pollinating, the fruit will be shaped like a cucumber. The fruit will remain soft until the skin is thinning and the fibers will begin to form. Plants will continue to grow and produce fruit until the sponge starts to mature. The harvesting process can be done at any time. The fruit will turn yellowish brown and its weight will become lighter due to drying.
Young luffa fruit can be eaten and is usually used as a vegetable while the old one is not tasty and can not be eaten. The older, the fruit will change to drier and fibers will form which can be used as washing coir, coarse filter material, dampers, pillows and packaging .
By @latifah1