[1] It is native to very shallow water round the coasts of southern Africa between Lüderitz and Durban.

Its column has large sticky pads to which sand and debris particles adhere.

[2] The long-tentacled anemone is found only around the southern African coast from Luderitz to Durban.

The long-tentacled anemone is often found partially buried in sand in rock crevices.

[2] Sea anemones lack the free-swimming medusal stage of the lifecycle of the typical Cnidarian; the long-tentacled anemone produces eggs and sperm, and the fertilized egg develops into a planula larva which drifts as part of the plankton before settling on the seabed and developing directly into a juvenile sea anemone.