Taxon name
Ziziphus spina-christi
(L.) Desf.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Ziziphus spina-christi
(L.) Desf.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(L.) Desf.
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 widespread and very common within its range. It is also one of the most common species within the Wadi Wurayah National Park. Therefore, it is assessed as Least Concern. Confirmation of the origin of the species in the UAE requires confirmation, but here we consider it to be native to the country.
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, this species is known from Jebel Hafeet (Stuart and Stuart 1998) and Das Island, Abu Dhabi Emirate (Western 1994), in addition to being widespread in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It has been recorded from elevations up to 1,500 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Continued presence on Das Island is unlikely given the extensive development of this island. This species is listed as an introduced landscape plant by MoCCaE (O. Al Shamsi pers. comm. 2018), although the species is potentially native to the UAE. CABI (2019) summarise that the species is thought to be endemic to Africa by some authors, whilst others consider its native range to extend to the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Globally, the range of this species spans from Mauritania to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019), although the native distribution is unclear.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This small to medium evergreen tree species grows within wadi beds, coastal foothills, alluvial plains and in desert regions (Staurt and Stuart 1998, Karim and Dakheel 2006, Mahmoud et al. 2018). It can reach up to 12 metres in height and has spiny branches (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). The leaves are ovate-oblong in shape, the edible fruit is orange-yellow and ovoid, and small yellowish green flowers can be seen between September to November and March to May (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). This species is highly salt tolerant (Karim and Dakheel 2006) and is also a crop wild relative of the Jujube, Ziziphus jujuba (Kameswara Rao 2013). Ziziphus spina-christi is utilised by the Mediterranean Pierrot butterfly (Taruxus rosaceus) as a food plant for its caterpillars (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
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.
