Pa'u o Hi'iaka of the Morning Glory family is a sprawling vine that grows up to 10 feet long. The stem and leaves are densely covered with silver hairs. The fleshy oval shaped leaves are leathery to the touch. The flowers are blue to white on the end of slender stalks of the plant in axils of leaves. It grows well in sunny, well-drained situation and leaves moderate to light watering. It adapts best to sandy or gravel substrates and is a good choice for a coastal garden or xeriscpes. It can also grow in rocky sites in small pockets of soil.

Ancient Hawaiians used the leaves and stems as a cathartic and to treat thrush for babies. The long vine like runners were braided for lashing. Legend says that the volcano goddess Pele laid her baby sister Hi'iaka to sleep on the shoreline while she went out for a morning fishing trip. When Pele returned she found that the vine had covered her sister and protected her from the hot sun.