A novel Gram-stain-positive, slightly halophilic, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, endospore-forming, motile, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain JSM 081004(T), was isolated from non-saline forest soil in Xiaoxi National Natural Reserve, China. Growth occurred with 0.5-20 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 2-4 %), at pH 6.0-10.5 (optimum pH 8.0) and at 5-40 °C (optimum 25-30 °C). meso-Diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C₁₅:₀ and anteiso-C₁₅:₀. Strain JSM 081004(T) contained MK-7 as the predominant respiratory quinone, and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain JSM 081004(T) was 40.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons revealed that strain JSM 081004(T) should be assigned to the genus Bacillus and was most closely related to the type strains of Bacillus lehensis (sequence similarity 97.8 %), Bacillus oshimensis (97.8 %) and Bacillus patagoniensis (97.3 %). Phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness values, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data all support the proposal of strain JSM 081004(T) as a representative of a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus xiaoxiensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is JSM 081004(T) ( = CCTCC AA 208057(T) = DSM 21943(T)).