Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is generally described as common within its distribution. In addition, it appears to tolerate a range of habitats and may be resistant to grazing by animals. Therefore, it is assessed as Least Concern.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Within the UAE, this species is widespread in the Hajar Mountains and the Ru'us al-Jibal (MEW 2010). It can be found at altitudes up to 1,250 m (Feulner 2011). Its native range spans from Macaronesia and the Mediterranean to Iran (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This annual herb species can be found growing in old and fallow fields, in addition to cultivated areas, wadis and gravel terraces (Western 1991, Norton et al. 2009, Feulner 2011). The plant can grow up to 60 cm in height and produces white 'hair-like' flowers between February and April (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is utilised as a food plant by the butterfly, Papilio machaon (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Grazing by livestock may impact the species in parts of its range (Shahid 2017), however it is considered to be poisonous (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Therefore, the threats to this species remain unclear.
Publication
Allen, D.J., Westrip, J.R.S., Puttick, A., Harding, K.A., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Ali, H. 2021. UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants. Technical Report. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, Dubai.
