Taxon name
Dactyloctenium aegyptium
(L.) Willd.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Dactyloctenium aegyptium
(L.) Willd.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(L.) Willd.
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
The species is widespread and common in the UAE. The origin of the species in the UAE requires confirmation, as it occurs in anthropogenic habitats, although it perhaps prefers disturbed habitats. Given the uncertainty surrounding its origin, it is considered 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
The species is widespread in the eastern half of the UAE and is also present on offshore islands (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The species has not been found in the Ru'us al-Jibal, however, it may exist in the mountains (Feulner 2011). Al Mehairbi et al. (2019) show a much broader and more continuous distribution, extending west well into Abu Dhabi Emirate. The species is considered introduced to the UAE by MoCCaE (O. Al Shamsi pers. comm. 2019) and by Al Mehairbi et al. (2019). The species is widely distributed across the globe (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). It is found in south-east Europe, North Africa, Macaronesia, the western Indian Ocean, Asia (Arabia, China, India, Indochina, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea). It is considered to be introduced to Australia, the Pacific, and the Americas (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). The native distribution of this species is uncertain, although it is considered native to Africa (Heuzé et al. 2015) and perhaps the Near East.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This is a species of plantations (Mahmoud et al. 2018), fields, gardens (Jongbloed et al. 2003), moist soils (MEW 2010) and roadsides in addition to other anthropogenic habitats (Al Mehairbi et al. 2019). It is an annual species, with stems erect or prostrate, up to 0.4 m, forming dense mats (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is not likely to be threatened.
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.
