Characters: Colonies are corymbose plates that may be over 2 metres across, or irregular cushion-like plates. Plates have short upright branchlets, which are commonly more elongate towards the colony margins. The latter may divide and all branches are up to 15 millimetres thick and taper towards axial corallites, which are slightly exsert, tubular and conspicuous. Radial corallites are appressed with flaring outer lips. They usually form irregular rosettes.
Colour: Uniform brown.
Similar Species: Acropora hyacinthus, which has more distinct axial corallites and smaller branchlets which do not divide and which are not inclined on the colony surface and A. cytherea, which has finer branches and more exsert axial corallites. See also A. massawensis and A. microclados.
Habitat: Upper reef slopes.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic Note: Forms distinctive thick plates. Placed in synonymy with Acropora subulata by Wallace, Done and Muir (2012) on the basis of specimens in the MTQ. However, these species as described here are readily differentiated in the field.
Taxonomic References: Veron (2000a); Veron (2002a);
