The margins of the lobes are very variable, and range from entire to undulate to deeply lobed. Male flowers are morphologically distinct from female flowers. Male inflorescences are borne in many-flowered panicles of cymes on horizontal or pendent stalks to 1 m long. The flowers are yellowish, 2-4 cm long. The petals are fused into a long tube, have 10 fertile stamens, and a rudimentary, non-functional ovary.
Female flowers are larger, usually white or cream in color, with five free petals.
There are no stamens, but a large ovary with 5 fan-shaped stigmas. In cultivation, there are many intermediate forms, including bisexual flowers. Environmental factors may also influence sexual expression, and the sexuality of a plant may change seasonally or over the course of its lifetime. Thus the sexuality of any one plant in cultivation depends on a complex mix of genetic, developmental, and environmental factors. The thin skin is yellow to orange when ripe, the flesh varies from pale yellow to orange red.