These potassium ion layers produce the perfect cleavage. Tainiolite is easily confused with polylithionite but is comepletely non-fluorescent unlike polylithionite. Color is colorless, tan, brown to silvery. Luster is vitreous to pearly. Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction producing thin sheets or flakes.
Fracture is not readily observed due to cleavage but is uneven. Hardness is 2.5 - 3. Streak is white. Non- fluorecent as opposed to polythionite. Associated Minerals are natrolite , fluorite , microcline , pectolite , quartz , phillipsite , richterite and aegirine , among other rare minerals.