Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
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, although being described as rare or occasional within the UAE, occurs in a range of different habitats in scattered locations. As a result, the extent of occurrence of this species is likely to exceed the threshold for threatened categories. The species grow within natural and semi-disturbed habitats which may increase its tolerance to development in the future. Therefore, it is currently considered Least Concern, although confirmation of the origin of the species within the UAE 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
Within the UAE, this species occurs in scattered locations including the Abu Dhabi Emirate, Al Ain, Dubai, Fujairah and the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). Feulner (2011) found it to be a low-altitude ruderal species in the Ru'us al-Jibal. The global native distribution spans from north-east Africa, through the Arabian Peninsula to India and Bangladesh (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 is known to grow within plantations, sand and gardens (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Mahmoud et al. 2018). It has a prostrate growth form and can spread up to 0.4 m across (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The plant has smooth, almost cylindrical seed pods with a hook, round trifoliate leaves with toothed edges and clusters of yellow flowers which can be seen between February and April (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is also a crop wild relative of fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum (Kameswara Rao 2013).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Grazing by goats may threaten this species in parts of its range (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.
