Taxon name
Phyla nodiflora
(L.) Greene
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Phyla nodiflora
(L.) Greene
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(L.) Greene
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The species is widespread in the UAE and is assessed as Least Concern, although the origin of the species in the UAE requires confirmation.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
In the UAE, the species is widespread in the Hajar Mountains, along the east coast, and opportunistically elsewhere, including along the Arabian Gulf coast and the offshore islands (Sakkir et al. 2017), within irrigated areas (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is found in lawns and golf courses as well as in mangrove forests (western Abu Dhabi) with fresh water supply from nearby irrigated lawns (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The species is now present throughout Africa, temperate and tropical Asia, Australasia and tropical America (Cook 1996), it has an almost pan-global distribution in the southern hemisphere (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). The species is considered to have originated in the Americas, but to have undergone natural dispersal from the America to Africa then to Australasia (Gross et al. 2017). However, it has also undergone human-mediated dispersal, which has obscured the origin of some populations (Gross et al. 2017); the origin of the species in the UAE can not be confirmed, but we consider it here to be occurring naturally in the country.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The species occurs in wadis, plantations, gardens, farms and other irrigated habitats. G.R. Feulner (pers. comm. 2019) commented that the species is almost exclusively peri-agricultural, whilst M. Jongbloed (pers. comm. 2019) considers it to be common and widespread in wadis, plantations and gardens within the Hajar Mountains, as well as in urban areas.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There are no widespread threats, though it is apparently largely dependent on the presence of freshwater or irrigation.
Publication
Allen, D.J., Westrip, J.R.S., Puttick, A., Harding, K.A., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Ali, H. 2021. UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants. Technical Report. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, Dubai.
