A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic bacterium, designated CPCC 204705(T), was isolated from a desert soil sample, collected from the Badain Jaran desert. Growth of strain CPCC 204705(T) was observed at pH 6.0-8.0 and 15-37 degrees C, with optimal growth at 28 degrees C and pH 7.0. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain CPCC 204705(T) belonged to the genus Cellulomonas, showing the highest similarity (98.54 %) of 16S rRNA gene sequence to Cellulomonas oligotrophica JCM 17534(T). The peptidoglycan type was A4 beta, containing D-ornithine and D-glutamic acids as diagnostic amino acids. Rhamnose and galactose were detected in the whole-cell hydrolysate as diagnostic sugars. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C-15:0, anteiso-C(15:1)A, C-14:0 and C-16:0. The major menaquinone was MK-9 (H-4) and the polar lipid system contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, one unidentified lipid, one unidentified aminolipid and two unidentified aminophospholipids. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain CPCC 204705(T) and C. oligotrophica JCM 17534(T) was 7.1 +/- 0.4%, and the value of average nucleotide identity between these two strains was 79.8 %. The DNA G+C content of strain CPCC 204705(T) was 75.4 mol%. Based on the results of physiological experiments, chemotaxonomic data, phylogenetic analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization value, strain CPCC 204705(T) should be classified as a novel Cellulomonas species. The name Cellulomonas telluris sp. nov. is proposed, with strain CPCC 204705(T) (=DSM 105430(T)=KCTC 39974(T)) as the type strain.