A novel actinomycete strain, designated YIM 61105(T), was isolated from a leaf of Maytenus austroyunnanensis from the tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, south-west China. A 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the organism belonged to the phylogenetic cluster of the genus Nonomuraea and was most closely related to Nonomuraea candida HMC10(T) (98.2 %), 'Nonomuraea aegyptia' S136 (97.9 %), Nonomuraea kuesteri GW 14-1925(T) (97.5 %) and Nonomuraea turkmeniaca DSM 43926(T) (97.4 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to other Nonomuraea species were less than 97.4 %. The main chemotaxonomic properties of strain YIM 61105(T), such as the principal amino acid of the peptidoglycan, the predominant menaquinone and the polar lipid profile, supported its classification within the genus Nonomuraea. Strain YIM 61105(T) was also readily differentiated from closely related species on the basis of a broad range of phenotypic properties and DNA-DNA hybridization values. Thus, this isolate is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Nonomuraea, for which the name Nonomuraea antimicrobica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 61105(T) (=DSM 45220(T)=CCTCC AA 208016(T)).