Plexaura is a genus of soft corals and is counted among the gorgonians. They are distributed mainly in the Caribbean. They differ from other gorgonians mainly by their thick arms, which are arranged like a candelabra and are little branched. The polyps with their 8 arms are clearly recognizable, which confirm the affiliation to the Octocorallia - the eight-rayed flower animals. Some species contain a conspicuously high proportion (2-3% of total mass) of the lipid prostraglandin A in their tissues, which has applications in human medicine as a muscle relaxant, and they were even used as a source of it in the past, before there were ways to synthesize it. It is thought to be a chemical defense against predators.
As a zooxanthellate gorgonian, these horn corals tolerate a lot of light. They require a steady, preferably laminar flow. Little demands are made on the water conditions. For propagation via frags, it is best to peel off the tissue at the point of attachment down to the horn skeleton consisting of gorgonin and use superglue to attach it in a hole on the frag rock.
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