240 INDUSTRIAL PLANTS 
readiness with which masses of the plant absorb and retain — 
moisture. ; 
71. Woody fibers as here understood, are either slender 
twigs with the bark removed, or timber mechanically re- 
Fic. 225.—Vegetable Sponge (Luffa egyptiaca, Gourd Family, Cucurbita- 
cee). Tip of vine showing leaves, tendrils, and young flowers, 3. 
Staminate flower, with corolla spread open. Pistillate flower, cut 
vertically. Fruit, 3. Same, cut across. (Redrawn trom Duthie and 
Fuller.)—Annual vine; leaves rough; flowers yellow; fruit 30-100 cm. 
long; greenish with ten darker ribs. Native home, tropics of the Old 
World. 
