Bontia daphnoides is a shrub or small tree sometimes growing to a height of 5 metres (20 ft) with a trunk up to 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter.

There are 5 egg-shaped, green pointed sepals which have hairy edges and the petals are joined at their bases to form a tube 15–20 millimetres (0.6–0.8 in) long.

The tube has two lobes of different sizes and the lower one is rolled back and covered on its upper surface with a dense layer of purple hairs.

Other names include olivier bord de mer (Martinique), mang blanc (Haiti), mangle (Puerto Rico) and aceituna americana (Cuba).

[1] White alling is grown as a hedge or as a feature plant, especially in areas exposed to salt spray and are common in places like the coasts of Guyana.