The species was originally described in Christiaan Hendrik Persoon's 1797 Commentatio de Fungis Clavaeformibus as Clavaria gracilis.

[1] It was then described as Ramaria gracilis in Lucien Quélet's 1888 Flore mycologique de la France et des pays limitrophes,[1] and this name was sanctioned by Elias Magnus Fries.

The individual branches, which have fairly thin bases, are typically forked and sometimes entangled with one another.

The smell of anise can be used to distinguish the species from the otherwise similar Ramariopsis kunzei and Clavulina cristata.

[4] Ramaria gracilis is found in European coniferous woodland,[4] where it grows on leaf litter.