A fluorescent bacterium that closely resembled Pseudomonas syringae pv. hibisci in morphological, biochemical, and physiological tests was consistently isolated from Abelmoschus moschatus with a leaf spot and blight. The bacterium also caused foliar symptoms on several Hibiscus species, including H. rosa-sinensis. Strains of P. s. hibisci attacked A. moschatus but were markedly less agressive on that host than was the strain from Abelmoschus. On A. moschatus, disease development was favored by low temperatures (20-25 C) and succulent plant growth resulting from heavy fertilization. The bacterium was seedborne, as it was recovered from seed stored for 10 mo at 10 C