Three Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacterial isolates were obtained from the fruiting bodies of the edible mushroom Hericium erinaceus showing symptoms of soft rot disease in Beijing, China. Sequences of partial 16S rRNA gene placed these isolates in the genus Pantoea. Multilocus sequence analysis based on the partial sequences of atpD, gyrB, infB and rpoB revealed P. eucalypti and P. anthophila as their closest phylogenetic relatives and indicated that these isolates constituted a possible novel species. DNA-DNA hybridization studies confirmed the classification of these isolates as a novel species and phenotypic tests allowed for differentiation from the closest phylogenetic neighbours. The name Pantoea hericii sp. nov. [Type strain LMG 28847(T) = CGMCC 1.15224(T) = JZB 2120024(T)] is proposed.