The mushroom coral is one of the most recognizable species of Hawaiian stony corals. It is named for its oval shape and the radiating skeletal walls (septa) that give this coral its mushroom-like appearance. These sharp septa also give rise to another common name, razor coral. This disc-like coral is found on quiet water reefs like those in Kāneʻohe Bay, where solitary individuals live detached from the reef. Mushroom corals do not form colonies like most other Hawaiian corals, each mushroom coral is a single polyp.
