Porites furcata is a colonial coral forming clumps of short, slender lobes with rounded tips, often densely packed together.

The interior parts of the coral often have a purplish tinge and are dead, perhaps killed off by the increased shading and lack of water circulation caused by newer growth above.

[3][4] Porites furcata is found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas and southern Florida from low water mark down to depths of about 20 metres (66 ft).

[5] The niches and crevices in this coral are home to a range of invertebrates and other organisms including brittle stars, sea urchins, polychaete worms, chitons and algae.

Its chief threat is the loss of reef habitat through mechanical damage, violent storms, a rise in sea temperatures, ocean acidification, pollution, increased sedimentation and tourism.