Sequence similarity in the 16S rDNA gene confirmed that crucifer pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. alisalensis belongs to P. syringae sensu lato. In reciprocal DNA/DNA hybridization experiments. DNA relatedness was high (69-100%) between P. syringae pv. alisalensis strains and the type strain of P. cannabina (genomospecies 9). In contrast, DNA relatedness was low (below 48%) between P. syringae pv. alisalensis and reference strains from the remaining genomospecies of P. syringae including the type strain of P. syringae and reference strain of genomospecies 3 (P. syringae pv. tomato) although the well-known crucifer pathogen, P. syringae pv. maculicola, also belongs to genomospecies 3. Additional evidence that P. syringae pv. alisalensis belongs to P. cannabina was sequence similarity in five gene fragments used in multilocus sequence typing, as well as similar rep-PCR patterns when using the BOX-A1R primers. The description of P. cannabina has been emended to include P. syringae pv. alisalensis. Host range testing demonstrated that P. syringae pv. alisalensis strains, originally isolated from broccoli, broccoli raab or arugula, were not pathogenic on Cannabis sativa (family Cannabinaceae). Additionally, P. cannabina strains, originally isolated from the C. sativa were not pathogenic on broccoli raab or oat while P. syringae pv. alisalensis strains were pathogenic on these hosts. Distinct host ranges for these two groups indicate that P. cannabina emend, consists of at least two distinct pathovars, P. cannabina pv. cannabina pv. nov., and P. cannabina pv. alisalensis comb. nov. Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola strain CFBP 1637 is a member of P. cannabina. Published by Elsevier GmbH.