Ixora homolleae is characterized by its rather robust habit; its generally brown drying color; its somwhat small, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, thick-textured leaves with the venation generally not evident; its solitary, sessile, showly flowers; its calyx limb with well developed (5-8 mm long) oblong to oblanceolate or triangular lobes; its white corollas with the tube 2.5-3.5 cm long; its 4-lobed stigmas; and its rather large, often ovoid, 4-locular fruits. This species has been commonly collected in littoral and "sublittoral" forest. predominantly at elevations at or below 50 m. As with many species of this habitat, leaf size and shape is variable within Ixora homolleae. Its 4-locular gynoecioum is unusual in Ixora but is found in some other Madagascar Ixora species, in particular Ixora quadrilocularis with several pedicellate flowers. Ixora homolleae is also similar to several other Ixora species with solitary subsessile flowers, in particular Ixora bemangidiensis with a suffrutescent habit, smaller leaves, bilobed stigmas, and apparently a shorter calyx limb.