In addition to the stony corals, the two other principal types are the thick, soft alcyonarians (soft corals), and the gorgonians, commonly referred to as sea fans. One kind of coral much beloved by Chinese people is the red, or precious, coral, which grows in deeper waters than other species.
除石珊瑚外，還有柔軟肥厚的「軟珊瑚」，和俗稱海扇的「柳珊瑚」兩大類。此外，生長在深海、被國人視為珍寶的寶石珊瑚（紅珊瑚），也是石珊瑚的一種。