A Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterial strain, hg(T), resembling members of the genus Flavobacterium, was isolated from soil, and subjected to a taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach. Strain hg(T) grew optimally at pH 7.0 and 30 °C in the presence of 1 % (w/v) NaCl. It contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 34 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain hg(T) belonged to the genus Flavobacterium. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain hg(T) and the type strains of species of the genus Flavobacterium were below 94.7 %. Strain hg(T) differed from phylogenetically related species of the genus Flavobacterium in several phenotypic characteristics. On the basis of phenotypic and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain hg(T) (= CCTCC AB 2012099(T) = KACC 16855(T)) was classified in the genus Flavobacterium as the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Flavobacterium yanchengense sp. nov. is proposed.