Taxon name
Vicoa divaricata
(Cass.) Oliv. & Hiern
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Vicoa divaricata
(Cass.) Oliv. & Hiern
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Cass.) Oliv. & Hiern
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
Although this species is restricted to the Ru'us al-Jibal and the Wadi Wurayah National Park, it appears to persist well within these environments. It is described as locally common within the Ru'us al-Jibal and is thought to be a weed within abandoned fields. Grazing by goats may pose a threat to this species, but it is unclear the impact that this has on the plant. It is 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, it is found within the Ru'us al-Jibal, at altitudes ranging from sea level to above c.1,000 m (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Although often associated with anthropogenic habitats in the UAE, it is considered a native species here. Globally, this species occurs from the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia and Myanmar (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 can grow up to 0.3 m in height and produces small, yellow flowers between January and May (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). It can be found growing in wadis, on hillsides, at roadsides, in abandoned fields and within salty basins, as it is a highly salt tolerant species (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). It is classed as a weed within abandoned field habitats (Feulner 2011).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Grazing may affect this species in parts of its native 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.
