Acropora palmata
Diagnosis
Large specimens are at least two meters high and four meters in diameter. Colonies are flattened to near round with frond-like branches. Branches typically radiate outward from a central trunk that is firmly attached to the sea floor. Corallites are tube-like and porous, 2 to 4 mm long, about 2 mm in diameter, white near the growing tip, and brown to tan away from the growing area. The axial and radial corallites are usually not distinctly different. The skeletal area between the corallites is rough-irregular and the tube-like corallites project upward. Colonies begin from a settled larvae or a fragment; settled larvae are undifferentiated and lack branching. As they grow, protuberances develop to generate the main column and radial branches. Polyps are creamy-white and inconspicuous tentacles protrude from the corallites.
Etymology
The literal translation of palmata is: related to a palm branch.