It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and is common on the north, west and south coasts of Britain.

Acontia (stinging threads) from the gastrovascular cavity can readily be extruded from the mouth which is at the centre of the oral disc.

[3][4][5] This sea anemone can be distinguished from similarly coloured forms of Sagartia elegans by the presence of longitudinal white striations on the column and the absence of suckers.

It occurs in caves and under overhangs, on rock walls, and on brown seaweeds such as Laminaria fronds and Himanthalia elongata buttons.

The two resulting fragments may be of unequal size but both normally have part of the base, throat, oral disc and ring of tentacles.