An actinomycete, designated strain E71(T), was isolated from the stem of Sambucus adnata Wall, a Chinese medicinal plant, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the organism was a member of the genus Glycomyces, and formed a distinct phyletic line distantly related to recognized species of the genus Glycomyces. Morphological and chemotaxonomic data supported the affiliation of strain E71(T) to the genus Glycomyces. A number of physiological properties and a unique menaquinone profile allowed differentiation of the strain from related Glycomyces species. It is therefore proposed that strain E71(T) represents a novel species of the genus Glycomyces, for which the name Glycomyces sambucus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is E71(T) (=CGMCC 4.3147(T)=DSM 45047(T)).