A Gram-staining-positive, moderately halophilic, aerobic, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated WD4L-1T was isolated from surface-sterilized stem tissue of a poplar tree planted in the Wudalianchi National Geopark of Heilongjiang province, PR China. This novel isolate grew in the presence of 0-15 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 6.0-9.0 and 15-50 °C; optimum growth was observed with 7-8 % (w/v) NaCl, at pH 7.0 and 30 °C. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the strain WD4L-1T belonged to the genus Lentibacillus, and was most closely related to Lentibacillus garicola SL-MJ1T with a sequence similarity of 96.1 %. The DNA G+C content of strain WD4L-1T was determined to be 36.9 mol%. The respiratory quinone was identified as menaquinone-7 (MK-7) and the major lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol and one unidentified phospholipid. The major fatty acids of strain WD4L-1T were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The results of the physiological and biochemical tests and the minor differences in the fatty acid profiles allowed a clear phenotypic differentiation of strain WD4L-1T from the closely related Lentibacillus garicola JCM 30131T. Thus, strain WD4L-1T represents a novel species of the genus Lentibacillus, for which the name Lentibacillus populi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is WD4L-1T (=CGMCC 1.15454T=DSM 101738T). An emended description of the genus Lentibacillus is also provided.