Two sporulating bacterial strains designated CECAP06(T) and CECAP16 were isolated from the rhizosphere of the legume Cicer arietinum in Argentina. Almost-complete 16S rRNA gene sequences identified the isolates as a Paenibacillus species. It was most closely related to Paenibacillus cineris LMG 18439(T) (99.6 % sequence similarity), Paenibacillus favisporus LMG 20987(T) (99.4 % sequence similarity) and Paenibacillus azoreducens DSM 13822(T) (97.7 % sequence similarity). The cells of this novel species were motile, sporulating, rod-shaped, Gram-positive and strictly aerobic. The predominant fatty acids were anteiso-C(15 : 0), C(16 : 0) and iso-C(16 : 0). The DNA G+C content of strains CECAP06(T) and CECAP16 was 51.3 and 50.9 mol%, respectively. Growth was observed from many carbohydrates, but gas production was not observed from glucose. Catalase and oxidase activities were present. The isolates produced beta-galactosidase and hydrolysed aesculin. Gelatinase, caseinase and urease were not produced. The results of DNA-DNA hybridization showed that the strains from this study constitute a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CECAP06(T) (=LMG 21955(T) = CECT 5831(T)).