Swollen-knob candelabrum

Appearance

Bushy or candelabrum has long branches usually dividing near colony base; to 7-30 cm tall.
It has a cylindrical cross-section. The branches are dense, upright, thick, 5-10 mm across, to 30 cm long.
The apertures are crowded, conic to tube-shaped with slightly upturned lower lip, ~2 mm long but not longer than branch diameter, slightly compressed in cross section. Projecting calices around branches produce a knobby appearance. Bushy colonies have medium and large calices. It has no mucus and the color is
beige, dark yellow to ochre, and occasionally purple. Dries brownish to tan. Light brown polyps.
Sclerites: Tentacular armature with rods to 0.17 mm long. Axial layer: sharp deeply purple spindles (0.16-0.4 mm long, 0.04-0.08 mm wide). Middle layer: ornamented spindles to 2 mm long, 0.38 mm wide (5-8 times longer than wide). Surface layer: dense torch-like clubs to 0.22 mm long.

Distribution

Bahamas, South Florida, and throughout the Caribbean Sea.

Habitat

Exposed or semi-exposed reefs to 20 m depth.