A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, coccus-shaped, non-spore-forming actinobacterium, designated strain 2Q3S-4-2, was isolated from the surface-sterilized bark of Kandelia candel, collected from Cotai Ecological Zones in Macao, PR China. It was tested using a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. Strain 2Q3S-4-2grew optimally without NaCl at 28–30 8C and at pH 7.0. Substrate mycelia and aerial mycelia were not formed and no diffusible pigments were observed on the media tested. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, suggested that strain 2Q3S-4-2 belonged to the genus Nakamurella, sharing highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Nakamurella flavida DS-52T (96.76%). The DNA G+C content of strain 2Q3S-4-2was 67.8 mol%. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and MK-8(H) was the predominant menaquinone. The predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, unidentified aminophospholipids and phosphatidylinositol. The major fatty acids were iso-C, anteiso-C, anteiso-C and C. On the basis of the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analysis, strain 2Q3S-4-2represents a novel species of the genus Nakamurella, for which the name Nakamurella endophytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 2Q3S-4-2(=DSM 100722=CGMCC 4.7308).