Scolecite is usually colorless or white, but can also be pink, salmon, red or green. It is transparent to translucent, with a white streak and a luster which is vitreous, or silky for fibrous specimens. It has a Mohs hardness of 5 to ​5.5. Cleavage is perfect in two directions parallel to the length of the crystals; this mineral is brittle with an irregular fracture. Scolecite commonly occurs as sprays of thin, prismatic needles, frequently flattened on one side, with slanted terminations and striated parallel to the length of the needles. The crystals appear to be pseudo-orthorhombic or pseudo-tetragonal and may be square in cross section. It also occurs as radiating groups and fibrous masses. Most of the world's finest Scolecite specimens are found in the Tertiary Deccan Basalt near Nasik, Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, India. The quarries in the Nasik region produce large, colorless sprays of well terminated coarse Scolecite crystals.