Schismus arabicus | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Taxa
Schismus arabicus | Nees
Publication
UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Plants
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Flowering Plants
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The species is mentioned by Jongbloed et al. (2003) without details. The species has been recorded from Jebel Hafeet (Sakkir and Brown 2014) and from Fujairah (RBG Edinburgh Herbarium; Jebal Ruwaydah at the head of Wadi Sidakh). More recent surveys confirm that the species is abundant in deserts in the northern Gulf (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019). The native range of this species is along Mediterranean coastal countries of North Africa to Ethiopia, and the eastern Mediterranean (from Greece eastwards), through the Arabian Peninsula, to Mongolia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). The species has become widespread and invasive in arid and semi-arid regions of North America and Australia (CABI 2019).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This is a small, tufted annual grass that grows up to 0.2 m in height (CABI 2019). As a desert annual, it can be absent for many years and only appear, or are more conspicuous, in particularly wet seasons (Sakkir and Brown 2014). MEW (2010) recorded the habitat as dry wadi banks and beds, whilst the RBG Edinburgh record was from a north-facing limestone hillside.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Data Deficient
Assessment status abreviation
DD
Assessment rationale/justification
The distribution of this species in the UAE is apparently not well documented, possibly as a result of confusion with Schismus barbatus, and it appears to be known from a very small number of records in the Hajar Mountains and Jebel Hafeet. This almost certainly does not represent its full range in the UAE, and recent surveys confirm that the species is abundant in deserts in the northern Gulf (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019). It is considered Data Deficient pending further information on its distribution.
About the assessment
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
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.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Grazing by livestock may impact the species in parts of its range, but there is no information on the scope or scale of this threat.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Schismus arabicus Plantae Tracheophyta Liliopsida Poales Poaceae Schismus