A Gram-positive, aerobic, non-motile, non-acid–alcohol-fast strain, designated YIM 61095 T , was isolated from the root of Maytenus austroyunnanensis collected from a tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province, south-west China. Strain YIM 61095 T exhibited chemotaxonomic and morphological characteristics that were consistent with members of the genus Saccharopolyspora. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain YIM 61095 T was a member of the genus Saccharopolyspora and was most closely related to Saccharopolyspora flava AS 4.1520 T (97.7% sequence similarity). The major fatty acids were iso-C 15:0 , iso-C 16:0 , iso-C 17:0 and anteiso-C 17:0 . The predominant quinone detected was MK-9(H 4 ). The DNA G+C content was 66.2mol%. The phenotypic characteristics and DNA–DNA hybridization relatedness data indicated that strain YIM 61095 T should be distinguished from Saccharopolyspora flava AS 4.1520 T . On the basis of the evidence presented in this study, strain YIM 61095 T represents a novel species of the genus Saccharopolyspora, for which the name Saccharopolyspora endophytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 61095 T (=KCTC 19397 T =CCTCC AA 208003 T ).