Crystals are translucent to opaque. Crystal Habits include prismatic to acicular or even tabular crystals sometimes in radial stellate aggregates. Some specimens are up to 20 cm in length. Also fibrous, lamellar and massive. Twinning is seen as lamellar twins.
Fracture is uneven to subconchoidal.
Hardness is 5.5 - 6. Streak is dark bluish-gray. Associated Minerals are nepheline , aegirine , chkalovite , sidorenkite , thalcusite , tugtupite , makatite , natrophosphate , rasvumite , serandite , revdite , erdite , kogarkoite , sazhinite , vitusite , various feldspars , micas and several different feldspathoids . Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, streak, cleavage and hardness.