Cells are Gram-stain-negative, motile, aerobic, non-spore-forming rods surrounded by a thick capsule. Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate accumulation is observed. Catalase- and oxidase-positive. After 24 h of growth on YEM agar at 25 °C, cells are 0.6–0.8 μm in diameter and 1.8–2.8 μm long. Colonies on YEM agar are pale yellow, circular, smooth and convex with entire edges. Colonies are approximately 1.2–1.8 mm in diameter on YEM agar after 48 h of incubation at 25 °C. Growth occurs at 10–37 °C (optimum, 25–30 °C), at pH 4.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 6.0–7.0) and with 0–2 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum growth in the absence of NaCl). Positive for hydrolysis of Tweens 40 and 60, weakly positive for hydrolysis of CM-cellulose and negative for hydrolysis of DNA, starch, chitin, casein, corn oil, alginate and Tweens 20 and 80. Positive for activities of urease, alkaline phosphatase, C4 esterase, C8 esterase lipase, leucine arylamidase, valine arylamidase, cystine arylamidase, acid phosphatase and naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase and assimilation of glucose, arabinose, mannose, mannitol, N-acetylglucosamine, gluconate, caprate, adipate and malate; negative for nitrate reduction, indole production, glucose fermentation, hydrolysis of aesculin and gelatin, activities of arginine dihydrolase, C14 lipase, trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase, α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, α-mannosidase and α-fucosidase and assimilation of maltose. Additional chemotaxonomic information can be found in Tables 1 and S2. All known strains are sensitive to chloramphenicol, rifampicin, gentamicin, kanamycin, penicillin G, ampicillin, novobiocin, tetracycline, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim and nalidixic acid. The major fatty acids are C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0, C17 : 0 cyclo, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c. The major respiratory quinone is Q-8. The polar lipid profile consists of a mixture of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, two uncharacterized aminophospholipids and several uncharacterized phospholipids.

The type strain is ICMP 19430T ( = LMG 28415T = HAMBI 3637T), which was isolated from root nodules of Dipogon lignosus in New Zealand