Ilie‘e is a shrub (has woody stems) but grows mostly by spreading thin branches across the ground. It is favored as a ground-cover at Nā Pōhaku o Hauwahine because it grows well in both sun and shade, and spreads slowly on its own. When in flower, you can see that these little white flowers are identical to those on ornamental plumbago with bright blue flowers (P. auriculata) that is a popular landscape plant and whose growth form (habit) is very unlike the vine-like habit of ilie‘e. There is a white-flowered variety of P. auriculata. The fruit is sticky, oblong, and contains a single seed.

You will run across this native in arid open, shrub, or forested areas on all the Islands. The sap was used by Hawaiians to darken tatoos.