Taxon name
Frankenia pulverulenta
L.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Frankenia pulverulenta
L.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
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
This species is fairly widespread along the coastline of the UAE, in addition to occurring further inland within the Hajar Mountain range. It is generally described as locally common but can also survive in a range of environments from rocky to saline sand, in addition to damper areas close to plantations. It is assessed as Least Concern.
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 occurs along both the Arabian Gulf coast and the East coast, in addition to within oases in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It has been recorded from the R'as al-Khaimah, Sila and Jebel al-Dhana (Karim and Dakheel 2006). Globally, this species' native range encompasses Macaronesia and northern Africa to northwest India and Russia, in addition to southern Africa (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
This annual herb species grows within saline habitats such as wadi environments and coastal sands (Karim and Dakheel 2006, Mahmoud et al. 2018). It is also known to persist occasionally in damp areas near to plantations (G.R. Feulner, in litt, MEW 2010). The plant itself has a prostrate growth form and is fleshy, with small leaves in whorls, solitary pink flowers and a three valved fruit capsule (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). Flowers are generally present between February and May (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is a very salt tolerant species and even excretes salt itself (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006).
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.
