As a member of the genus Metridium, it is a type of plumose anemone and is found in the seas off north-western Europe and both the east and west coasts of North America.

The column is long, smooth and cylindrical, of a fleshy consistency with a slimy surface lubricated with mucus.

Colours include, white, cream, pink, orange, red, grey, brown and olive-green.

pallidus is much smaller, seldom exceeding 2.5 cm (1 in) base diameter, and has a much less convoluted disc with fewer than 200 tentacles.

[2] It is indeed an impressive sight with the tentacles fully expanded, resembling a palm tree, but when retracted it can become a low, irregularly shaped, jelly-like disc of unattractive appearance.

[2] When exposed to the air by a retreating tide, it does not always retract but may hang under an overhang in a limp fashion looking like a wet glove with a single drop of water dangling at its tip.

[2] M. senile is found on the northwest coasts of Europe from the Bay of Biscay north to Norway and Iceland.

[3] It also occurs on the east and west coasts of North America and has arrived in South African waters.

Smaller forms inhabit the lower shore where they are found under stones, beneath overhangs and in shaded places.

At greater depths, the larger forms are sometimes abundant on pilings, submerged pipes, pier supports and harbour walls.

In an aquarium, the anemone can sometimes be seen to glide across a hard surface such as the glass wall, leaving fragments behind in the process.