[2]Czech mycologist August Carl Joseph Corda named this species Penicillium elegans in 1838.

[3] Later, in 1952, French mycologist, Gabriel Arnaud named the species Mariannaea elegans although he failed to provide a Latin description, which was a requirement for valid publication at the time.

[4][5] This conclusion was supported by Dutch mycologist, Robert Archibald Samson, who in 1974 validated the names of the genus and species by providing Latin diagnoses.

[1] When M. elegans is grown on a Petri dish in 2% MEA (Malt Extract Agar; medium used in a Petri dish) and PDA (potato-dextrose agar) at 22 °C (72 °F) the growth and morphological characteristics listed below are observed.

[7] On average colonies of M. elegans can be observed with the naked eye having a diameter of 2.5–6 cm after 10 days of growth.

[1][8][3] They appear thin and velvety (i.e. smooth) or floccose (i.e. woolly) or matted (i.e. powdery) and are odourless.

[1] Colonies are white to cinnamon buff (peanut butter colour) and possess either smooth or rough walls.

[1] The mycelium is either smooth-walled or rough-walled, white to olivaceous (the green colour of the mould on blue cheese) or pink.

Growing obliquely form the apex of a phialide are long chains of conidia (singular conidium).

[2] A study carried out in 2007 revealed anti-M. elegans cutaneous bacterial communities that live on the skin of amphibians.

[3] When M. elegans is grown in vitro in the presence of different sugars (e.g., glucose, galactose, sucrose, mannose, fructose, and lactose) at 30 °C (86 °F) for 2 days in PDA distinct cell morphology is observed.

[10] Growth in 2% of glucose, galactose, or sucrose leads to the formation of many small fungal cells.

[10] Whereas the opposite is observed in 2% of mannose, fructose, or lactose, which lead to the formation of a few large fungal cells.

[3] Mariannaea elegans has been isolated from various regions in Canada: Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.

It is involved in wood biodeterioration either through the formation of soft rot cavities or through cell wall erosion.

[3] It is capable of preventing sapstain (a blue to greyish-black colour) formation on wood treated with M.

A study carried out in 2001 concluded that mariannaeaprone, a fungal metabolite made by M. elegans induces the aggregation of human platelet cells.