It inhabits low shrublands and, rarely, dry forests,[4] at elevations from sea level to 2,500 ft (760 m).

[5] Associated native plant species include akiʻaki (Sporobolus virginicus), ilima (Sida fallax), naupaka kahakai (Scaevola taccada), and pili (Heteropogon contortus).

[1] Off-road vehicles, wildfires, grazing, and alien species competition have destroyed their habitat on the main islands, but they are still quite common on Nihoa and Necker.

ʻŌhai is highly polymorphic, exhibiting broad variations in color and shape.

ʻŌhai grows as a prostrate shrub with semi-glaucous hairless leaves on the southernmost tip of the island of Hawaiʻi, Ka Lae.