Why aren't anemones considered corals?

[damsels are not mean]

Looking at the family tree, anemones are actually more closely related to most corals than the soft corals are, yet we never call anemones a coral. Why not? Is there a taxonomic/biological distinction that is made or is it simply a colloquial thing? In the trade especially, anemones are not often categorized with corals. They're in the "invert" section next to the shrimps and sea stars.

 

[Doctorgori]

outside of scientific/biology, in layman’s terms Might be lack of a skeleton

 

[Ricox]

Soft corals?

 

[Ricox]

Coral is generally a colony of many different organisms and polyps where as an anemone is one organism. not 100% though

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I just typed that question into google, this is the google reply: "Corals are different from anemone because they have a skeleton of sorts. Anemones are squishy and basically filled with water. Corals create a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate."

As you mention, the anemone is more resembling the soft coral. So whats the difference between hard and soft coral, according to google, "The biggest difference, as the name implies, is that hard-coral polyps form hard, calcium carbonate skeletons. Soft corals on the other hand are held together by a jelly-like mesoglea and rigid, spiny structures called sclerites hold together soft coral polyps"

Therefor, based on above, it seems that anemone is not a coral, because corals build a structure to help hold their bodies together, and anemone is mostly just water.

 

[Dburr1014]

Never saw a Coral that had a foot.
And what he said ^