Indigofera cordifolia | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Taxa
Indigofera cordifolia | B.Heyne ex Roth
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 known to occur within a restricted roadside locality in Hatta, north-east UAE (Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium). The species was absent from Jongbloed et al. (2003) but included in the draft Red Data Book for the UAE (MEW 2010). Globally, the range of this species includes from Cape Verde to the Arabian Peninsula, to China and tropical Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019), however the native distribution is not clear. Kameswara Rao (2013) does not list presence in the UAE.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Indigofera cordifolia is has been recorded growing between two roads in a mountainous area. It is considered to be a xerohalophyte (salt-tolerant desert species) and has a therophyte life form, in terms of completing its life cycle when conditions are favourable (Böer and Saenger 2006). This annual species is a crop wild relative of indigo, Indigofera tinctoria (Kameswara Rao 2013).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
D2
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is known from a single location in Hatta, UAE. As the species occurs at a single locality between two roads, any expansion of these roads could threaten the overall existence of Indigofera cordifolia within the UAE, potentially driving it to Critically Endangered, or possibly, Regionally Extinct, within a short amount of time. It is therefore assessed as Vulnerable (VU D2).
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
Expansion of the existing roads within its known locality would likely have significant impacts on this species within the UAE. It is considered that this species may well be grazed.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
This species is not known to occur anywhere else within the UAE, therefore it retains the same category and criteria as in 1996.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Indigofera cordifolia Plantae Tracheophyta Magnoliopsida Fabales Fabaceae Indigofera