Cells are Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, motile with one or two polar flagella, non-spore-forming and rod-shaped. The cell size (mean±standard deviation) of MAFF 311094T is 2.1±0.5×0.91±0.08 µm (n=31). On standard methods agar (plate count agar) plates, colonies of the species are pale yellow to light cream in colour, opaque, round with entire margins, raised, smooth, glistening and usually around 1–1.5 mm in diameter after growth for 2 days at 27 °C. No diffusible pigments are produced when cultured on standard methods agar plates. Growth occurs at 4–35 °C, in the presence of 0–6% (w/v) NaCl and at pH 5–8. The strains are positive for fluorescent pigment production on King’s B medium, levan formation from sucrose, oxidase, potato soft rot, gluconate oxidation and acid production from sucrose, but are negative for tobacco hypersensitive reaction. In API 20 NE tests (4 days incubation at 27 °C), positive responses are observed for nitrate reduction, arginine dihydrolase, aesculin hydrolysis, gelatin hydrolysis, oxidase and assimilation of d-glucose, l-arabinose, d-mannose, d-mannitol, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, potassium gluconate, capric acid, malic acid and trisodium citrate; however, negative responses are observed for indole production, glucose fermentation, urease, β-galactosidase and assimilation of maltose, adipic acid and phenylacetic acid. Plate test analysis performed using the Biolog GEN III MicroPlate system (4 days incubation at 27 °C) indicates that these strains utilize trehalose, sucrose, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, α-d-glucose, d-mannose, d-fructose, d-galactose, d-fucose, inosine, d-sorbitol, d-mannitol, d-arabitol, myo-inositol, glycerol, glycyl-l-proline, l-alanine, l-arginine, l-aspartic acid, l-glutamic acid, l-histidine, l-pyroglutamic acid, l-serine, d-galacturonic acid, l-galactonic acid lactone, d-gluconic acid, d-glucuronic acid, glucuronamide, mucic acid, quinic acid, d-saccharic acid, p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, l-lactic acid, citric acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, d-malic acid, l-malic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, α-hydroxybutyric acid, dl-β-hydroxybutyric acid, propionic acid, acetic acid and formic acid; but fail to utilize dextrin, maltose, cellobiose, gentiobiose, turanose, stachyose, raffinose, lactose, melibiose, methyl β-d-glucoside, d-salicin, N-acetyl-β-d-mannosamine, N-acetyl-d-galactosamine, N-acetyl neuraminic acid, 3-methyl glucose, l-rhamnose, d-glucose-6-phosphate, d-fructose-6-phosphate, d-aspartic acid, gelatin, d-lactic acid methyl ester, Tween 40 and acetoacetic acid. In API ZYM tests (4 h incubation at 27 °C), positive reactions are observed for alkaline phosphatase and leucine arylamidase; weak reactions are observed for esterase (C4), esterase lipase (C8), valine arylamidase, trypsin, acid phosphatase, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase and β-glucosidase; and negative reactions are observed for lipase (C14), cystine arylamidase, α-chymotrypsin, α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase, α-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, α-mannosidase and α-fucosidase. The major cellular fatty acids (>5 % of the total fatty acids) are C16:0, summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c), summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c/C18:1 ω6c) and C17:0 cyclo. The genomic DNA G+C content is 60.1 mol%.

The whole-genome shotgun project of MAFF 311094T has been deposited in GenBank under the accession number JAJOZG000000000. The DDBJ/ENA/GenBank accession numbers for the 16S rRNA and rpoD gene sequences of MAFF 311094T are LC647547 and LC647551, respectively.

The type strain, MAFF 311094T (=ICMP 24279T), was isolated from a rot lesion formed on the petiole of a parsley plant suffering from bacterial rot disease, which was sampled in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, in 1993, and is pathogenic to parsley.