Typically it is found as crystalline aggregates, often banded in appearance. It is also found in massive as well, sometimes with boitriodal clusters, and sometimes in is "lacey". Malachite is even found sometimes as a pseudomorph after Azurite crystals, which are generally more tabular in shape.
Malachite gets its name from the Greek, malache, "mallow" in reference to its green leaf color.
Malachite also is a mineral that occassionally forms stalactites. Solutions can drip into openings in copper deposits, bringing with them Malachite. The huge copper deposits at Zaire in the DR Congo have yielded large quantities of such specimens, some of them quite spectacular.
In the center of the stalactite you might see a tiny opening down the center of the specimen, forming a small opening or tube down which fluids could drip and from which the outward growth of the stalactite develops. As long as fluids continued down the outside of the stalactite, it would grow thicker and thicker. When such straw-like openings do not exist, the stalactite had to have grown as waters dripped down the exterior of the stalactite.
We have taken these beautiful stalactite formations and sliced them into unique designer cabochons for jewelry, leaving the outside edges natural and polishing on one side. In some instances were they do have the straw hole in the center, we have filled those tiny holes with natural crushed down blue Azurite.
Malachite is said to assist you in changing situations. It is believed to assist one in seeing through emotional fogs, and helps creative people focus. Malachite can help one overcome fear of confrontation or fear of self-expression.