Medicago polymorpha | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Taxa
Medicago polymorpha | L.
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
Taxonomic Notes
Medicago polymorpha L. is a tertiary wild relative of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. subsp. sativa) (Singh and Jauhar 2005).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
A detailed description of the distribution of Medicago polymorpha within the UAE is lacking, however it is known to occur within the country according to R. Western. According to Fawzi and Karim (pers. comm. 2019), this species has been recorded from Hatta and Ras al-Khaimah, in addition to Abu Dhabi Island (S. Sakkir pers. comm. 2019). Globally, the native range of this species encompasses northern and eastern Africa, Europe, the Arabian Peninsula and western and central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
It is an annual herb species (Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012) and is found in lawns and gardens, in addition to grassy cultivated areas. This species is a crop wild relative of alfalfa, Medicago sativa (Kameswara Rao 2013). It has a distinctive spiral seed pod.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Not possible
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Data Deficient
Assessment status abreviation
DD
Assessment rationale/justification
Medicago polymorpha is considered to grow relatively well within certain areas of the UAE, however its exact range in the country is still not well defined, and it is not clear if it is subject to any major threats. Given the lack of information on the species, it is considered Data Deficient.
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 is likely to be affected by grazing, although it is not clear whether this constitutes a major threat.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Medicago polymorpha Plantae Tracheophyta Magnoliopsida Fabales Fabaceae Medicago