Present on the whole territory of Grande-Terre and in particular in the Blue River Provincial Park, Oxera neriifolia shows a good tolerance to the high nickel concentrations of the ultramafic New Caledonian soils. It grows on all kinds of dry forest and scrub substrates up to 3,280ft (1,000m) above sea level. Its rapid growth and its hyperaccumulative properties make it an ideal plant for the vegetal restoration of the mining sites of the island.