Asphodelus tenuifolius | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Taxa
Asphodelus tenuifolius | Cav.
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
This species is widespread in the eastern part of the UAE, including the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). It is recorded as occurring at a wide range of altitudes to c. 1,600 m elevation (Feulner 2011). It occurs along ridgetops in Olive Highlands (Feulner 2014) and is common in Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP; Feulner 2016). The global distribution of this species extends from Macaronesia to the Indian subcontinent (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). It is extinct in Greece and has been introduced to Central America, Australia (New South Wales), Mauritius and Rodrigues Island (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019, CABI 2019).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
An erect annual, monocotyledonous herb, found in sand and gravel at all elevations (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Perry 2008, Mahmoud et al. 2018) particularly seen after rain (Feulner 2011). It produces numerous small, white flowers between December and May and can grow to heights of around 0.4 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Perry 2008). It is considered to be a common weed of fields (Heneidy et al. 2018), although it is also utilised as a host plant by Cuscuta planiflora (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least Concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is generally considered to be common in the UAE, in addition to being widespread throughout the east of the country. It occurs at a range of altitudes and has also been recorded from at least one protected area. It is therefore listed as Least Concern.
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
This species may be threatened by over-collection and over-grazing (Heneidy et al. 2018), particularly from goats (Shahid 2017).
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Asphodelus tenuifolius Plantae Tracheophyta Liliopsida Asparagales Asphodelaceae Asphodelus