Corallum around 6 cm high, consisting of low, very crowded, intricately coalescent, vertical stems arising from a creeping base, around 3 mm thick. Stems expand suddenly fanlike (palmate), coalesce with others; upper edges producing low branchlets. One stem not extensively coalesced has the following dimensions: base almost cylindrical, 1 cm diameter; expanded upper portion 3.5 cm; height 1.2 cm. Some stems, particularly in the middle of the group, are so extensively fused that their individual extent obscured but for shallow depression marking the separation; terminal branchlets indicated usually by notches at their tips.

Calicles distinct all over, evenly distributed, around a diameter apart, except within depressions where they are closer together. Calice generally generally oval; 0.6 x 0.8 mm; or irregular, or distorted in shape.

Septa asymmetrical. Some primaries may reach half radius points, others in the same calice much narrower. Directives may not be recognizable, or only one may stand out clearly being wider and exsert. Secondaries not constituting complete cycle; some may resemble narrow primaries.

Intercalicinal reticulum rather coarse, dense; threads wider than meshes; spines of various shapes, not crowded. Papillae irregular in shape and size and very unevenly distributed, generally more towards terminal portion than at base.

Remarks:This species resemble M. edwardsi Bernard in its growth form but differs from the older species by the distribution of the papillae, the shape of the calicles and the septal formula. It also has some resemblance with M. crista-galli Brueggemann, but the calices and the septa of the two are quite different.

Source:Nemenzo F (1967) Systematic studies on Philippine shallow water scleractinians: VI. Suborder Astrocoeniida (Montipora and Acropora). Part I - Text. Nat. Appli. Sci. Bull. 20 (1- 2): 1-141.