1. Form, Elevation & Margin

2. Colony Shape
Colony morphology can be useful in bacterial identification.
Colony Shape: includes form, elevation and margin of the bacterial colony.

3. Form Form of the bacterial colony: the shape of the colony.
Circular, Irregular, Filamentous, Rhizoid

4. Elevation
Elevation of bacterial colony: This describes the “side view” of a colony.
Raised, convex, flat, umbonate (having a knobby protuberance), and crateriform

5. Margin Margin of bacterial colony: edge of a colony
Entire (smooth), undulate (wavy), filiform, curled , lobate
Colonies that are irregular in shape and/or have irregular margins are likely to be motile organisms.

6. Colony Surface
Appearance of the colony surface:  colonies are frequently shiny and smooth in appearance.
Other surface descriptions: dull (opposite of glistening), veined, rough, wrinkled (or shriveled), glistening.

7. Other Characteristics
Opacity - transparent, opaque, translucent, iridescent, etc.
Pigmentation - white, buff, red, purple, etc.