Cells are Gram-negative, motile, short rods, 0.3–1.0 µm wide and 0.8–2.0 µm long, with peritrichous flagella, appearing singly or in pairs. Facultatively anaerobic. Growth occurs at 20–30 °C with an optimum at 28 °C. Grows at pH 4–10, with optimal growth at pH 7. Colonies are cream in colour on YDC agar and dark pink with translucent margins on TZC agar. In API 20E tests, positive for catalase, oxidase, ornithine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase, lysine decarboxylase, aesculin hydrolysis, Voges–Proskauer reaction and gelatin liquefaction; negative for methyl red test and indole production. Using Biolog GN2 microplates, positive for utilization of citrate, dextrin, glycogen, melibiose, Tweens 40 and 80, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, l-arabinose, cellobiose, d-arabitol, d-fructose, d-galactose, gentiobiose, α-d-glucose, myo-inositol, maltose, d-mannitol, d-mannose, methyl β-d-glucoside, d-psicose, raffinose, α-l-rhamnose, d-sorbitol, sucrose, trehalose, turanose, methyl pyruvate, citric acid, cis-aconitic acid, formic acid, d-galactonic acid-γ-lactone, d-galacturonic acid, d-gluconic acid, d-glucuronic acid, α-hydroxybutyric acid, p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, dl-lactic acid, mucate, malonic acid, d-saccharic acid, succinic acid, bromosuccinic acid, glucuronamide, d- and l-alanine, putrescine, l-alanyl glycine, l-asparagine, l-aspartic acid, l-glutamic acid, glycyl l-aspartic acid, glycyl l-glutamic acid, l-ornithine, l-phenylalanine, l-proline, d- and l-serine, l-threonine, inosine, uridine, thymidine, glycerol, dl-α-glycerol phosphate, glucose 1-phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate. Using Biolog GN2 microplates, the following compounds are not utilized as sole sources of carbon: cyclodextrin, adonitol, meso-erythritol, α-hydroxybutyric acid, itaconic acid, α-ketovaleric acid, sebacic acid, succinamic acid, cis-4-hydroxy-l-proline, l-leucine, l-pyroglutamic acid, dl-carnitine, γ-aminobutyric acid, urocanic acid, phenylethylamine, 2-aminoethanol and 2,3-butanediol. The genomic DNA G+C content of the type strain is 55.1±0.5 mol%. The major fatty acids are summed feature 2 (iso-C16 : 1 I and/or C14 : 0 3-OH), C14 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH), C18 : 1ω7c, C17 : 0 cyclo and C16 : 0. According to 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequence analyses, the closest phylogenetic relatives are E. asburiae, E. amnigenus, E. cancerogenus, E. cloacae subsp. cloacae, E. cloacae subsp. dissolvens and E. nimipressuralis.

The type strain, R18-2T ( = CGMCC 1.10322T  = LMG 25706T), was isolated from a white mulberry (Morus alba L.) sampled from Tonglu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, as a phytobacterium.