Colonies of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidifoliorum cultivated on nutrient agar plates are round, convex, glistening, viscous, translucent and white. The bacteria are Gram-negative rods, aerobic, motile, can produce fluorescent pigment on King's B medium and do not have the genes coding coronatine (cfl) and phaseolotoxin (argK). Positive reactions are: levan production, tobacco hypersensitive reaction and hydrolysis of aesculine. Negative reactions are: cytochrome oxidase, arginine hydrolase, potato rot test, ice nucleation activity. Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidifoliorum uses: Tween 40, Tween 80, l-arabinose, d-arabitol, i-erythritol, d-fructose, d-galactose, α-d-glucose, m-inositol, d-mannitol, d-mannose, d-sorbitol, sucrose, pyruvic acid methyl ester, succinic acid mono-methyl ester, acetic acid, cis-aconitic acid, citric acid, d-galactonic acid lactone, d-galacturonic acid, d-gluconic acid, d-glucosaminic acid, d-glucuronic acid, β-hydroxybutyric acid, β-hydroxybutyric acid, α-ketobutyric acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, propionic acid, quinic acid, d-saccharic acid, succinic acid, bromosuccinic acid, succinamic acid, l-alaninamide, d-alanine, l-alanine, l-alanyl-glycine, l-asparagine, l-aspartic acid, l-glutamic acid, glycyl-l-glutamic acid, l-histidine, l-leucine, l-proline, l-pyroglutamic acid, l-serine, l-threonine, γ-aminobutyric acid, inosine and glycerol as a carbon source. Formic acid, malonic acid, l-ornithine and uridine are only used weakly as a carbon source. The following carbon sources are not used by P. syringae pv. actinidifoliorum: α-cyclodextrin, dextrin, glycogen, N-acetyl-d-galactosamine, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, adonitol, d-cellobiose, l-fucose, gentiobiose, α-d-lactose, lactulose, maltose, d-melibiose, β-methyl-d-glucoside, d-psicose, d-raffinose, l-rhamnose, d-trehalose, turanose, xylitol, α-hydroxybutyric acid, γ-hydroxybutyric acid, p-hydroxyphenlyacetic acid, p-hydroxyphenlyacetic acid, itaconic acid, α-ketovaleric acid, d,l-lactic acid, sebacic acid, glucuronamide, glycyl-l-aspartic acid, hydroxy-l-proline, l-phenylalanine, d-serine, d,l-camitine, urocanic acid, thymidine, phenylethylamine, putrescine, 2-aminoethanol, 2,3-butanediol, d,l,α-glycerol phosphate, α-d-glucose-1-phosphate and d-glucose-6-phosphate.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidifoliorum is a plant pathogen that cause leaf spots on A. chinensis and A. deliciosa. The pathotype strain is CFBP 8039.