Tree of up to 13 m in height. Single, alternate, membranaceous, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acute to acuminate leaves, 10 to 20 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide. Short, lateral, internodal inflorescences, with few yellowish green flowers; pedicels 1.6-2.4 cm long, outer petals 1.5-2.5 cm. Syncarpous, subglobose fruit, reddish when ripe, up to 12 cm in diameter, yellowish, sweet or tasteless and aromatic flesh; numerous, black, shiny seeds.

Annual herbaceous, trailing vine. Stem slightly woody, rounded or slightly 5-angled; tendrils coiling and branching; leaves simple, shallowly lobed, pubescent 20 x 30 cm, petiole 12-30 cm long; flowers unisexual, solitary, petals yellowish-orange, up to 15 cm long; fruits dull in colour, globose, sometimes cylindrical or pyriform, at least 15cm long, often with rounded ridges.

Solitary palm up to 30 m tall. Trunk stout, straight or leaning, prominently ringed; leaves pinnate 3-6 m long, pinnae numerous, somewhat drooping in one plane, stiff linear acuminate 50 -70 cm long; inflorescence in the axis of the leaves; male flowers, creamy-white 0.7 – 1.3 cm x 0.5 - 0.7 cm, female flowers 20-40, globose 2.5 –3 cm in diameter; fruit ovoid, slightly triangular, 30 cm long and 20 cm in diameter with a white fleshy endosperm.

Small tree with irregular branches up to 5 m tall, with thick, rigid, sharp thorns. Leaf elliptical, dark green, slightly leathery and aromatic, 4-8 cm x 2-5cm, petiole narrowly winged; inflorescence a raceme; flowers white, fragrant, 1.5 cm long; fruit sub-spherical, 5-6 cm long, yellow when ripe, with very acid pulp, seeds white, small, oval.

Herbaceous annual up to 60 cm high, covered with numerous thorns; yellow latex. Sessile, alternate, sinuate-pinnatifid leaves 8-20 cm long, short and wide lobes, thorny margins. Solitary terminal hermaphrodite flowers; calyx of 3 spiny sepals; corolla with 6 petals, yellow or white, 2-3 cm. Capsule with 4-6 shells of 4-5 cm, spiny.