This hard coral is also present in a wide range of habitats. It is common in the shallow waters of the lagoon and reflect, but occurs as thickly branched colonies in the wave affected areas of the reef slope.
Colonies are characterised by branches with small protuberances (verrucae) on them. The branches are thicker and more compact where there is wave action, with a more open appearance in protected areas such as lagooons.
This species has a wide geographic distribution, being found from the Red Sea and Eastern Africa throughout the Pacific.

This species was first described from an early expedition to Fiji. It was hard coral found on the upper reef slopes and in the pools on the flat reef.
Its growth form is messy and usually hemispherical or rounded. The corallites are irregular in shape, with the polyps often containing more than one centre or mouth. Its robust growth form makes it resistant to wave action. Tolerance of the environmental variation (turbidity, temperature and salinity fluctuations) in the shallow reef flat zone allow colonisation of a variety of reef habitats.
Its range extends from the South China Sea throughout the Eastern Pacific to the Samoas.

This is soft coral. They can be distinguished from hard corals from their large fleshy colonies, which are soft or leathery in nature without a rock-like skeleton.

The living polyp has eight tentacles (Octocorals), for feeding, whereas the hard corals have six or multiples of six (Hexacorals). They are common on the back reef margin of the barrier and inshore on fringing reefs where there is a silt or turbid environment. They are the dominant organism on some reefs, completely covering large areas to the exclusion of all else.

This is the most colourful of soft corals appearing as iridescent reds, pinks and yellows. Their bright colour is due, in part, to the lack of the small, unicellular algae which live in the tissues of most hard and soft corals. As a consequence, the preferred habitat is deeper water, in shaded areas under overhangs and the entrance to caves. They occur on offshore reefs where there is clear water and good circulation.

The colonies from branching tree-life colonies where the polyps are borne on the end of the branches. They have prominent skeletal spicules or sclerites which provide defence and give the colony a spiky appearance.