Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
Forssk.
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 considered to be widespread throughout the UAE, and is described as common throughout this range. It is an important and characteristic species of sand dune environments. Although it may be threatened by over-collection, over-grazing and habitat loss, it is unclear to what extent this currently affects the species. It is therefore assessed 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
Within the UAE, this species is widespread throughout sandy and coastal areas in the north of the country and down to Al Ain (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is also thought to occur on some islands within the UAE (MEW 2010). Globally, the native range of this species spans from northern Africa and the Sahara 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
This species is an annual herb species which can grow up to 45 cm in height (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Norton et al. 2009). Between February and April, it produces white flowers which open during the evening and at night time (Jongbloed et al. 2003). This species can be found growing within stable sand and in between dunes (Jongbloed et al. 2003) and is considered to be an important contributor to biomass in these environments (Ghazanfar and Fisher 1998).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species may be threatened by habitat loss, over-collection and over-grazing (Heneidy et al. 2018).
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.
