Characters: Colonies are thick tables formed of irregularly fused horizontal branches and irregular upright branchlets. Axial and incipient axial corallites are very prominent and tubular in shape. They sometimes have no radial corallites, or radial corallites on one side only. Radial corallites are appressed.
Colour: Cream, blue (which may photograph purple) or pale brown.
Similar Species: Acropora cytherea, which has smaller, more even branches and less exsert incipient axial corallites. See also A. rambleri, A. desalwii, A. bifurcata and A. hyacinthus.
Habitat: Sheltered upper reef slopes.
Abundance: Uncommon.
Taxonomic Note: Wallace (1999) and Wallace, Done and Muir (2012) made Acropora plana a probable synonym of A. tenuis. However, these species are readily distinguished, especially by the typically side attached, open tabular form of A. plana as illustrated here.
Taxonomic References: Nemenzo (1967); Veron (2000a);
