The papaya flowers are tubular, trumpet-shaped blossoms emerging from the axils of the papaya leaf. Growing to between one and two inches (2.5 - 5 cm) long, they are waxy and sweetly perfumed. Their color ranges from a pale ivory to golden yellow. While male papaya flowers cannot bear fruit, their pollen is transferred by wind, by insects, or by hand in order to fertilize the female ovule.