A novel endophytic actinomycete, strain GMKU 367(T), was isolated from roots of Thai glutinous rice plants (Oryza sativa L. 'RD6') collected from Pathum Thani Rice Research Center, Pathum Thani province, Thailand. Strain GMKU 367(T) formed cylindrical spores on aerial mycelium, but sporangium-like structures and fragmentation of substrate mycelium were not observed. The cell-wall amino acids contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, alanine, glutamic acid and acetylated muramic acid. The whole-cell sugars were arabinose, galactose, mannose, rhamnose and ribose. Major fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0), iso-C(16 : 0) and C(16 : 0). The diagnostic menaquinone was MK-9(H(4)). The polar phospholipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and hydroxyphosphatidylethanolamine. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 71.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data indicated that strain GMKU 367(T) differed from members of the family Pseudonocardiaceae. On the basis of the evidence presented in this polyphasic study, it is proposed that strain GMKU 367(T) represents a novel species in a new genus in the family Pseudonocardiaceae, with the name Actinophytocola oryzae gen. nov., sp. nov.; the type strain of Actinophytocola oryzae is GMKU 367(T) (=BCC 31372(T) =NBRC 105245(T)).