The fruit bodies grow directly from dead bark or wood, where they feed as saprotrophs.

It was provisionally reported in 2009 in the proceedings of a 2008 conference, before being formally described in 2009 by Jens H. Petersen and Thomas Læssøe in an article in Karstenia, coauthored with Marie L.

[1] The specific name elegans is from the Latin meaning "elegant", and refers to how "pretty" the species's fruit bodies are.

[2] Phylogenetic analysis suggests that within the Clavariaceae, Hirticlavula is a sister to the clade comprising Clavaria, Camarophyllopsis and Hodophilus.

[4] Hirticlavula elegans produces white fruit bodies from 800 to 1100 micrometres (μm) in height.

[5] The basidia are cyanophilous, meaning that the cell walls will readily absorb methyl blue stain.

[5] It is unknown whether the fruit bodies are edible, but they are unlikely to be of interest to mushroom hunters due to the small size.

Hairy stems are seen among more distant relatives, including members of Typhula, Pistillina and Pterula.