Characters: Colonies are laminar and bifacial, submassive or encrusting, sometimes forming contorted branches. Corallites are 3.5-4.5 millimetres diameter. Columellae are large, and paliform lobes are not well developed. Primary septa may be thick and are always exsert.
Colour: Usually grey, sometimes pale cream to dark brown or green.
Similar Species: Echinopora horrida, which has similar corallite characters but is usually branching whereas E. gemmacea is usually laminar. See also E. hirsutissima.
Habitat: Shallow protected reef environments.
Abundance: Usually uncommon.
Taxonomic References: Chevalier (1975); Veron, Pichon and Wijsman-Best (1977); Veron (2000a); Huang, Benzoni, Fukami et al. (2014);
Identification Guides: Veron (1986a); Sheppard and Sheppard (1991); Nishihira and Veron (1995); Pillay, Terashima, Venkatasami et al. (2002); Pichon, Benzoni, Chaineau et al. (2010); Turak and DeVantier (2011b);
