Branching Flower Pot Coral

Appearance

Colonies are composed of gnarled branches that divide irregularly. They may form stands over 5 metres across. Corallites are large, composed of an interlocking network of rods and spines. Polyps are large with swollen tentacle tips.

Colour: Pale tan when polyps are retracted. Extended polyps are amber or yellowish with white oral discs, sometimes with white tentacle tips.

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Maldives, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia.

Habitat

Inhabits soft substrates in deep water or shallow turbid areas protected from wave action and generally seen at depths between 10 to 65 feet (3 - 20 m).