The column has numerous sticky protuberances (called verrucae) arranged in vertical rows to which gravel and shell fragments adhere.

It is differentiated from Anthopleura xanthogrammica by the coloration of the tentacle tips, striped oral disk, and vertical rows of verrucae.

[4] When the tide is out it is often concealed by shell fragments and other particles that adhere to the column, which folds into an encrusted ball.

The white tips of acrorhagi have a concentration of stinging cells (nematocytes) and are used solely to deter other colonies from encroaching on their space.

The nematocysts sting the ectoderm of the invader, causing tissue necrosis and forcing the competitor to move away.