Desert Orchid is a proper standout Australian Acropora — smooth, sculptural and packed with an unusual colour combination that gets better the longer you look at it.

The body develops soft lime-to-yellow tones, contrasted by burnt red to burgundy polyps and bright blue-to-purple growing tips. Under reef lighting, those colours give Desert Orchid a really striking, almost pastel appearance with loads of depth.

What makes this coral especially interesting is the growth form. As it matures, the branches become thicker, smoother and almost bulbous, giving it a very different look from the finer, sharper branching Acropora.

There’s definitely an Australian shortcake-style character to the colour and structure, but Desert Orchid has developed a look very much of its own.

Smooth, chunky and seriously distinctive — Desert Orchid is the kind of Acropora that becomes more impressive with every stage of growth.