Scientific Name: Plumbago zeylanica
Indigenous: All HI
Description: A low sprawling shrub with long stems, light green foliage and clusters of bluish white flowers that emerge at the stem tips. Once the flowers are pollinated, small, cigar shaped fruits that are slightly sticky will begin to develop.
Distribution: This plant is indigenous meaning that it is native to Hawaii as well as other parts of the world. In Hawaii, it is found on all the main islands in the lowland dry forest all the way down to the coast in either the full hot sun or as the understory in disturbed areas dominated by alien plants like koa haole and or kiawe
Landscape Use and Care: ‘Ilie’e is the perfect ground cover plant. As in the wild it is often found thriving in the full sun and in the shade, in the landscape it does the same and looks great planted under other trees or under the eves of houses in partial shade as well as in the full sun, although you will have more flowers if the plant is in the sun. It requires little watering to become established, every other day is fine for initial establishment but once that has happened it will hardly need it at all. ’Ilie’e also seems resistant to most pests and diseases. I have seen spider and flat mites on them but very rarely.
Cultural Uses: The sap of ’Ilie’e is used by Hawaiians to blacken tattoos.
Additional Info: In other places of the world where this plant is also native, the seeds were probably dispersed by sticking on to large grazing land mammals. In Hawaii however, the islands evolved without any of these large land mammals, instead, giant flightless birds like geese most likely played this role.
Iliee