A novel strain, designated YIM 61452T, was isolated from the stem ofMaytenus austroyunnanensiscollected from the tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, south-west China. The strain was characterized taxonomically by using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain YIM 61452Tbelonged to the genusPseudonocardiaand was most closely related toPseudonocardia alniIMSNU 20049T(99.5 %),Pseudonocardia antarcticaDVS 5a1T(99.5 %) andPseudonocardia carboxydivoransY8T(99.4 %). The chemotaxonomic properties of strain YIM 61452T, for example MK-8(H4) as the predominant quinone system and iso-C16 : 0and iso-C16 : 1H as the major fatty acids, were also consistent with its classification within the genusPseudonocardia. Strain YIM 61452Tcould be differentiated from closely related species of the genusPseudonocardiaby phenotypic and genotypic analysis. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments between strain YIM 61452Tand closely related reference strains further confirmed that strain YIM 61452Trepresented a novel taxon of the genusPseudonocardia. Therefore, strain YIM 61452Trepresents a novel species, for which the namePseudonocardia tropicasp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 61452T(=DSM 45199T=CCTCC AA 208018T).