In
corals, the
coenosteum is the stony skeletal material secreted by the
coenosarc, the layer of living material lying between the
corallites (the stony cups in which the
polyps sit). The coenosteum is composed of
aragonite, a crystalline form of
calcium carbonate, and is generally a spongy, porous material. Sometimes the coenosteum has ornamentation such as ridges and beads, visible as raised areas of the coenosarc. The coenosteum and corallites together are known as the corallum.