Anthelia glauca has large tubular polyps growing from a creeping mat that sometimes forms stolon-like fingers.

[2][3] Anthelia glauca is found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea to Hawaii, growing at depths between 8 and 22 metres (26 and 72 ft).

[4] Anthelia glauca is a zooxanthellate soft coral; embedded within its tissues are single-celled symbiotic dinoflagellates which provide their host with the products of photosynthesis such as organic carbon and nitrogen compounds.

Spawning and egg transfer takes place at the full moon over a four to five month period in summer.

[5] It has been found that the immature planula larvae acquire their zooxanthellae from symbionts present in the pharyngeal pouch by invasion through their ectodermal surface during the brooding process.