It occurs in well formed crystals up to 6cm, though the majority are in the 1-6mm range. Color is generally colorless, less frequently white, pale gray, pale green, rarely pale yellow and very sledom pale pink. Luster is vitreous, except for etched pinacoids. Diaphaneity is transparent to translucent. Crystal Habits include square tabular in larger crystals and a pseudo- octahedral in smaller crystals.
Fracture is uneven.
Streak is white. Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, amphibole group, ancylite, biotite, calcite, catapleiite, fluorite, galena, molybdenite, narsarsukite, natrolite, pectolite, quartz, titanite, vesuvianite and zircon. Named in 1800, apophyllite comes from the Greek apo , away and phyllazein , to get leaves, alluding to its exfoliation when heated in a blowpipe. The end members of the series were coined in 1978. Fluorapophyllite was named to reflect its fluorine rich composition.