Objective   Pollens morphology of a variety of Luffa cylindrica was characterized for taxonomic classification of the plants.

  Methods   The palynological characteristics of 20 varieties of luffa were examined under a scanning electron microscope. The observation was analyzed for classification on the plant species using principal component analysis and UPGMA clustering method.

  Result   Belonging to the N3P4C5 type, the pollens were similarly prolate in shape—oblong equatorially with a diameter ranging from 57.17 μm to 61.04 μm and trilobate-circular latitudinally with an axis ranging between 107.03 μm and 112.74 μm. The pollen size varied from 6 164.15 μm² to 6 814.02 μm². There were 3 separate apertures that almost reached both ends of a pollen. The exine was reticulated with a spinule density of 0.129-0.220 n·μm⁻², which differed significantly among the varieties. The major palynological traits for taxonomic differentiation included polar axis length, equatorial diameter, size, shape, and exine appearance of the pollens. On a Euclidean distance of 23 on 8 traits, the 20 luffa varieties were clustered into 3 categories.

  Conclusion   Differences on polar axis length, equatorial diameter, shape, size, and spinule density of pollens provided the basis to classify the genetic relationship of 20 different species of luffa.