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NRLD - 330037 | Sphenopus divaricatus

Assessment ID
330037
Taxon name
Sphenopus divaricatus
(Gouan) Rchb.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Sphenopus divaricatus
(Gouan) Rchb.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
tracheophyta
Class
liliopsida
Order
poales
Family
poaceae
Genus
Sphenopus
Species
divaricatus
Species authority
(Gouan) Rchb.
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)
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Least Concern
Abbreviated status
LC
Criteria system used
IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification
Although considered to be ""rare"" and with a restricted extent of occurrence (4,300 km<sup>2</sup>), it is unlikely that there is a continuing decline in EOO or habitat area or extent, at least in the Hajar Mountains, and the species occurs in many more than ten locations. It is assessed as Least Concern.
Assessment details
Year assessed
2019
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 occurs in the Sweihan and Al Khazna areas, and the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Al Mehairbi et al. 2019). The species has also been recorded from the Dubai Creek area (Sharjah Seedbank and Herbarium), where it is possibly introduced. The EOO, based on the Sweihan and the Hajar Mountains records, is 4,300 km<sup>2</sup>. Globally this species occurs from Macaronesia, across North Africa and southern Europe, to the Middle East, Central Asia and Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Terrestrial
Not_assigned
Freshwater
Not_assigned
Marine
Not_assigned
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This is an annual grass with purplish stems, growing up to 0.3 m. It grows in sand and in silt between rocks (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Grazing by livestock may impact the species in parts of its range.
Publication
UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants
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.