Characters: Colonies are generally submassive, encrusting or columnar. Corallites are shallow giving colonies a smooth surface.

Colour: Cream, green, brown or mottled.

Similar Species: Porites lichen, which has a similar growth-form but has larger corallites and is usually bright yellowish-green in colour. See also P. desilveri.

Habitat: Semi-protected shallow reef or terrigenous rock substrates.

Abundance: Common in subtropical localities, rare in the tropics.