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National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Numerous subspecies have been described within this species (Triest 1988) but these are not consistently recognised.
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
Data Deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
Within the UAE, the species has been recorded from dam and water storage sites in the north-east of the UAE (Böer and Chaudhary 1999). Whilst it is known from other countries in the Arabian Peninsula, the draft Red List assessment of this species for the Arabian Peninsula (A. Patzelt and S.G. Knees) does not list the UAE in its distribution, and the origin of the species in the UAE requires confirmation, given its presence at anthropogenic sites. In addition, there is no information on population size or trend and the continued presence of the species at the known sites, as well as occurrence elsewhere in the country, requires further research. As a result, the species is assessed as Data Deficient.
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
Within the UAE, it has been recorded from the dam at Khor Fakkan, in the Emirate of Fujairah (Böer and Chaudhary 1999). It is also known from dams in Hatta and Al Manama. In the Arabian Peninsula, it occurs in other countries including Saudi Arabia (Chaudhary 2001), Oman (Miller and Morris 1988), Yemen (Wood 1997) and Socotra (Miller and Morris 2004), however, the draft Red List assessment of this species for the Arabian Peninsula (A. Patzelt and S.G. Knees) does not list the UAE in its distribution, and the origin of the species in the UAE requires confirmation, given its occurrence in anthropogenic sites. Globally, this species is widespread across cosmopolitan areas of North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The known sites within the UAE are within water storage reservoirs and dams. The submerged aquatic plant species grows in pools and slow-flowing freshwater streams, although often in brackish water (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Ghazanfar and Fisher 1998, Wood 1997, Miller and Morris 1988). The leaves are linear to oblong in shape and grow in pseudo-whorls (Ghazanfar and Fisher 1998). This species is known to be dispersed by birds and is also eaten by camels in Oman (S. Ghazanfar pers. comm. 2019).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species does not appear to be subject to any major threats.
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.
