Niastellahibisci sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of mugunghwa, the Korean national flower.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, long rods with no flagellum strain, designated THG-YS3.2.1T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of mugunghwa, collected from Kyung Hee University, Yongin, South Korea. Growth occurred at 10-40 °C (optimum 28 °C), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and with 0-1.0 % NaCl (optimum 1.0 %). The predominant menaquinone was menaquinone-7 (MK-7). The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C12 : 0, iso-C14 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, anteiso-C15 : 1 A, C15 : 0 2-OH, C16 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, C16 : 0 3-OH, iso-C16 : 0 3-OH, iso-C16 : 1 G, C17 : 0 2-OH, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, C17 : 1ω6c, C18 : 3ω6c (6, 9, 12), C18 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylmethylethanolamine), phosphatidylethanolamine, five unidentified aminolipids and three unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain THG-YS3.2.1T was 45.3 mol%. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the nearest phylogenetic neighbours of strain THG-YS3.2.1T were Niastella populi KCTC 22560T (98.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Niastella gongjuensis KACC 17399T (96.9 %), Niastella vici KCTC 42474T (96.2 %), Niastella yeongjuensis KACC 11466T (95.5 %) and Niastella koreensis KACC 11465T (95.1 %). DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain THG-YS3.2.1T and N. populi KCTC 22560T, N. gongjuensis KACC 17399T, N.vici KCTC 42474T, N. yeongjuensis KACC 11466T and N. koreensis KACC 11465Twere 55.8±1.0, 39.5±0.5, 35.2±0.1, 17.6±0.3 and 12.5±1.2 %, respectively. On the basis of the phylogenetic analysis, chemotaxonomic data, physiological characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization data, strain THG-YS3.2.1T represents a novel species of the genus Niastella, for which the name Niastellahibisci sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is THG-YS3.2.1T (=KCTC 52084T=CCTCC AB 2015356T).