Taxon name
Suaeda aegyptiaca
(Hasselq.) Zohary
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Suaeda aegyptiaca
(Hasselq.) Zohary
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Hasselq.) Zohary
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 considered to be common and widespread within the UAE. It is able to colonise disturbed habitats and cope with very saline environments. As a result, 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 fairly widespread, having been specifically recorded from Fujairah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ajman (Karim and Dakheel 2006). This species is native to north-east Africa, through to the Arabian Peninsula and 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 species is known to generally grow in sand and frequently colonises disturbed habitats such as dredged areas along the Arabian Gulf coast (Western 1992). However, it can also be found in saline sand areas around the east coast plantations (Western 1992, Mahmoud et al. 2018). Suaeda aegyptiaca is an annual herb which has round, succulent leaves and can reach 50 cm in height (Western 1992, Karim and Dakheel 2006). It produces small green-yellow flowers between October and April (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). This species is extremely salt tolerant and is therefore a halophyte (Karim and Dakheel 2006).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There is no information available.
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.
