Taxon name
Withania somnifera
(L.) Dunal
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Withania somnifera
(L.) Dunal
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(L.) Dunal
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
In the UAE, the species occurs within the Hajar Mountains and along the east coast. However, the species is generally associated with agriculture and the origin of the species in the UAE has been questioned. The UAE native plant working group (June 2019) did not reach a consensus on this species, and it is currently 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
In the UAE, the species occurs within the Hajar Mountains and along the east coast (Jongbloed et al. 2003), and has also been recorded from Jebel Hafeet, including Wadi Tarabat (Sakkir and Brown 2014, EAD (S. Sakkir pers. comm. 2019). The origin of the species in the UAE has been questioned, and the UAE native plant working group (June 2019) did not reach a consensus on this species. The species has a wide global distribution through Africa and southern Europe to East Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). The species is found throughout Oman (in sandy and rocky wadis, beside roads, near cultivation, and in disturbed and waste ground; S. Ghazanfar pers. comm. 2019). Elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula found in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen (S. Ghazanfar pers. comm. 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The species is found in plantations and is generally peri-agricultural (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There is no information available.
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.
