Taxon name
Vachellia tortilis
(Forssk.) Galasso & Banfi
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Vachellia tortilis
(Forssk.) Galasso & Banfi
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Forssk.) Galasso & Banfi
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 widespread in the eastern parts of the UAE and introduced elsewhere as a landscape and afforestation tree. It is assessed as Least Concern, however the impact of grazing requires confirmation.
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 country (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). The native range is from Uganda to Egypt, through Sinai to the Arabian Peninsula (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
The species is found on gravel and sand plains, wadi banks, mountain slopes and mountain plains up to medium elevations (Jongbloed et al. 2003). G.R Feulner (in litt, MEW 2010) considered the primary habitats to be gravel plains and foothills. It generally grows as a tree up to 4-6(-12) m, with a single stem or several branching stems (Jongbloed et al. 2003), although it can grow to 21 m in height in parts of its range (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). Vachellia tortilis flowers from spring until early summer (April to June; DDCR 2019). The species occurs to c. 1,350 m asl in the Ru'us al-Jibal, however it is considered uncommon above 800 m except in association with cultivation (Feulner 2011).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Uncontrolled grazing impacts the species, however the scale and impact of this threat is not known. G.R. Feulner (in litt, MEW 2010) noted that there is no generation in most areas due to severe grazing.
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.
