The characteristics are as described for the genus (Vauterin et al., 1995) extended with data from this study. Using the Biolog GEN III MicroPlate system dextrin, d-trehalose, d-cellobiose, gentiobiose, sucrose, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, α-d-glucose, d-mannose, d-fructose, d-galactose, d-fructose-6-PO4, l-glutamic acid, citric acid, acetoacetic acid, pH 6, lincomycin, tetrazolium blue, rifamicin SV, nalidixic acid, aztreonam are oxidized, but the following substrates are not: stachyose, d-raffinose, α-d-lactose, β-methyl-d-glucoside, N-acetyl-neuraminic acid, d-sorbitol, d-mannitol, l-histidine, l-pyroglutamic acid, d-gluconic acid, quinic acid, d-saccharic acid, γ-amino butyric acid, α-hydoxy-butyric acid, β-hydoxy-d,l-butyric acid, pH 5, 4% NaCl, 8% NaCl, minocycline. The oxidization of the following substrates is strain-dependent: d-maltose (75% of the strains), d-melobiose (50% of the strains), glycerol (75% of the strains), d-glucose-6-PO4 (75% of the strains), gelatin (75% of the strains), l-lactic acid (25% of the strains). The fatty acids C15:0 iso and summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c/C15:0 iso 2-OH) are present in significant amounts in cells grown on TSA (BBL 11768) for 24 h under aerobic conditions. Xanthomonas phaseoli can be differentiated from the phylogenetic close Xanthomonas species by MLSA (Ah-You et al., 2009; this study).

The type strain is LMG 29033 = ATCC 49119