Precious coral
| Precious coral | |
|---|---|
| Precious coral (Corallium rubrum) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Octocorallia |
| Order: | Alcyonacea |
| Family: | Coralliidae |
| Genus: | Corallium Cuvier, 1798 |
| Species | |
|
31 species, see text | |
Precious coral, or red coral, is the common name given to a genus of marine corals, Corallium. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink-orange skeleton, which is used for making jewelry.