Epipactis veratrifolia | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants
Taxa
Epipactis veratrifolia | Boiss. & Hohen.
Publication
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
D1
Assessment rationale/justification
This is the only orchid known to be present in the UAE. It is widespread in suitable habitat in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003), including Wadi Wurayah (Feulner 2016), and was recorded in 2018 from Jebel Hafeet (Sakkir et al. 2018). The species is found near springs and seepages, typically among Adiantum capillus-veneris ferns, and also along irrigation channels in plantations. Without detailed locality records (aside from Jebel Hafeet), it has not been possible to accurately estimate the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO), however the AOO is inferred to be less than 500 km<sup>2</sup> based on suitable natural habitat; the extent of distribution within irrigated habitats is not known. Several subpopulations are within protected areas (e.g. Jebel Hafeet and Wadi Wurayah). Some subpopulations may be vulnerable to impacts from disturbance by tourism and recreational activities, and the species may also be impacted by stochastic events such as flash-floods, however these threats are localised and it is assumed that the species occurs in more than ten locations. The species is restricted to specific habitats, and the number of mature individuals is suspected to be less than 1,000 in the UAE, and the species therefore qualifies as Vulnerable (VU D1).
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
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.
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Threats listed in assessment
Some subpopulations may be vulnerable to impacts from disturbance by tourism and recreational use of the area, such as in some parts of Wadi Wurayah, however it also occurs in areas where such impacts are low. The species may also be vulnerable to grazing. The species may also be impacted by stochastic events such as flash-floods e.g., Feulner (2014) noted the absence of this species from the area below the main waterfall following heavy rain in November 2014.
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:
History
This species is restricted to specific types of habitats, and the situation has remained relatively to similar to that in 1996.
Scientific Name | Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epipactis veratrifolia | Plantae | Tracheophyta | Liliopsida | Asparagales | Orchidaceae | Epipactis |