Taxon name
Moraea sisyrinchium
(L.) Ker Gawl.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Moraea sisyrinchium
(L.) Ker Gawl.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(L.) Ker Gawl.
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
Despite being restricted to the Ru'us al-Jibal within the UAE, this species can persist at a range of altitudes and is locally common within this area. Therefore, 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
The species is found at high elevations in the Ru'us al-Jibal, from c.800 m to at least 1,800 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011, M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). It has been recorded in Ras al Khaimah from a farmed area on a high elevation mountain plateau on Jebel Jais (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). It is a ruderal species (Feulner 2011) whose origin in the UAE requires confirmation; it may be a temperate species that is native to the higher elevation in the UAE, or may be introduced. The global distribution of this species is circum-Mediterranean, through the Arabian Peninsula (although the UAE is not listed) to the western Himalaya and Central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018, GRIN 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
It is a perennial geophyte: it has a round corm with brown fibrous covering, found in meadows and agricultural fields within high mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003, M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). The leaves are narrow and leathery and can reach up to 0.4 m in length (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Blue flowers are present between occurs from February to April (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Grazing may impact the species in parts of its range but is not thought likely to be significant.
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.
