Characters: Colonies are submassive or have laminar bases and form tall columns and branches. Laminar and digitate forms are usually found in turbid water, submassive and columnar forms occur on reef slopes. Corallites are mostly exsert. The coenosteum has a dense cover of papillae of uniform length.
Colour: Brownish, usually with white tips to coenosteum papillae, especially on distal parts of branches.
Similar Species: Montipora hispida, which has a similar general appearance, but is readily distinguished by its corallites which have tall (M. grisea-like) thecal papillae. See also M. gaimardi.
Habitat: Sheltered environments, especially sheltered lagoons with turbid water and soft substrates.
Abundance: Common.
Taxonomic References: Nemenzo (1967); Veron (2000a);
Identification Guides: Nishihira and Veron (1995);
