Green Encrusting Gorgonian – Briareum sp.

Encrusting Gorgonians can appear in several forms and colors. These corals grow in a mat that can be purple or brown in color and can either grow in sheets, columns or tangled strands. The polyps can be green, white or brown in coloration. Encrusting Gorgonians can be easily fragged by cutting the mat apart and pieces of the mat may sometimes fall off of the main colony.

These corals are often confused with Star Polyps and Pipe Organ Corals, which all have similar polyp shape. When the polyps are expanded and obscure the underlying structure they can be difficult to distinguish at first glance. Two genera are usually known as \