ʻIlieʻe
Plumbago zeylanica
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.
He wahi lāʻau haʻahaʻa ia me nā lālā lōʻihi. He mau lau ʻōmaʻomaʻo a he hui pua keʻokeʻo i pua mai ka wēlau o nā lālā. He mau hua pipili ko ka ʻilieʻe.
This plant is indigenous meaning that it is native to Hawaiʻi as well as other parts of the world. In Hawaiʻi, 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.
Ulu ka ʻilieʻe ma Hawaiʻi a ma kekahi mau ʻāina ʻē aʻe o ka honua. Ma Hawaiʻi, ulu ka ʻilieʻe ma ka wao maloʻo a hiki i kai. Ikaika i ka ʻāina e pā nui ai ka lā, a hiki ke ulu hoʻi ma lalo o ka malu o nā kumulāʻau ʻē aʻe.
The sap of ’Ilie’e is used by ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻis to blacken tattoos.
Hoʻohana ʻia ka ʻilieʻe no ka paʻu kākau.
‘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.
Nani ka ʻilieʻe i ka ulu papa ʻana i ka honua. Ulu ikaika i ka lā a me ka malu. Inā kanu ʻia i kahi e pā nui ai ka lā, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā pua o ka ʻilieʻe. ʻAʻole pono ka hāinu nui ʻana i ka ʻilieʻe. Kēlā me kēia ʻelua lā no ka pule mua, a ma hope, ʻaʻole paha pono e hāinu. ʻAʻole hoʻi nui nā mū e pilikia ai ka ʻilieʻe.
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 Hawaiʻi however, the islands evolved without any of these large land mammals, instead, giant flightless birds like geese most likely played this role.
I kekahi mau wahi ʻē aʻe o ka honua, laha aku ka ʻilieʻe i nā hua pipili. Pili aku i ka hulu o nā holoholona. Ma Hawaiʻi naʻe, ua laha aku paha i ka pili ʻana i nā manu nui e laʻa ka moho.