Taxon name
Heliotropium europaeum
L.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Heliotropium europaeum
L.
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
Although this species is described from scattered localities in the UAE, it is generally considered to be common. In addition, it utilises plantation and garden habitats. Therefore, in agreement with MEW (2010), this species 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, the species is considered to occur in scattered locations (MEW 2010). RBGE herbarium hold records from two localities (north of Al Ain, Dubai Emirate and from Al Buraidah, Sharjah Emirate), and Fawzi and Ksiksi (2012) recorded the species from Jebel Hafeet. Globally, the native range of this species spans across Africa, Europe, temperate Asia and tropical Asia (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
Heliotropium europaeum is an annual herb species (Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012). It can reach up to 0.4 m in height and has large, hairy, oblong leaves (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The fruit is round and hairy, containing four nutlets, and the white flowers are densely packed, appearing between February to April (Jongbloed et al. 2003). This species is known to grow within plantations, gardens and close to irrigation points (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There is no available information.
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.
