Taxon name
Cenchrus pennisetiformis
Steud.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Cenchrus pennisetiformis
Steud.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Cenchrus pennisetiformis Steud. is a tertiary wild relative of Pearl Millet C. americanus (L.) Morrone (syn. Pennisetum glaucum (L.) Br.) (USDA, ARS, GRIN 2017).
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 across a large part of the UAE. Although data are lacking on the population size and trend, the species is assessed as Least Concern as it is thought unlikely that it will approach the thresholds for a threatened category.
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 across northern parts of the UAE (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is known from the Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011) and in Wadi Wurayah National Park (Feulner 2016). G.R. Feulner (in lit., MEW 2010) comments that this species is difficult to distinguish in the wild and that it has been widely cultivated as a landscape plant. Al Mehairbi et al. (2019) show it to be absent from parts of the western coast of Abu Dhabi Emirate. Globally, this species occurs in North and East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, India and Thailand (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This is an annual plant that grows up to 0.4 m in height, found in sands and stable sand sheets, in plantations and in gardens (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Al Mehairbi et al. 2019).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Grazing by livestock may impact the species in parts of its range, and impacts from coastal development are likely to have been 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.
