Taxon name
Asphodelus tenuifolius
Cav.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Asphodelus tenuifolius
Cav.
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 generally considered to be common in the UAE, in addition to being widespread throughout the east of the country. It occurs at a range of altitudes and has also been recorded from at least one protected area. It is therefore listed 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
This species is widespread in the eastern part of the UAE, including the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). It is recorded as occurring at a wide range of altitudes to c. 1,600 m elevation (Feulner 2011). It occurs along ridgetops in Olive Highlands (Feulner 2014) and is common in Wadi Wurayah National Park (WWNP; Feulner 2016). The global distribution of this species extends from Macaronesia to the Indian subcontinent (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). It is extinct in Greece and has been introduced to Central America, Australia (New South Wales), Mauritius and Rodrigues Island (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019, CABI 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
An erect annual, monocotyledonous herb, found in sand and gravel at all elevations (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Perry 2008, Mahmoud et al. 2018) particularly seen after rain (Feulner 2011). It produces numerous small, white flowers between December and May and can grow to heights of around 0.4 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Perry 2008). It is considered to be a common weed of fields (Heneidy et al. 2018), although it is also utilised as a host plant by Cuscuta planiflora (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species may be threatened by over-collection and over-grazing (Heneidy et al. 2018), particularly from goats (Shahid 2017).
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.
