Taxon name
Cymbopogon iwarancusa
(Jones ex Roxb.) Schult.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Cymbopogon iwarancusa
(Jones ex Roxb.) Schult.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Jones ex Roxb.) Schult.
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 generally described as common throughout its distribution in the Ru'us al-Jibal. This may related to its ability to survive at particularly high elevations and rocky summits, where it has been described as dominant and co-dominant. However, this species appears to be severely impacted by extended periods of drought, which may become more common as a result of climate change. Therefore, it is currently assessed as Least Concern with the need to reassess as conditions continue to change.
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 was recorded in the Ru'us al-Jibal under the name, Cymbopogon jwarancuse (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is thought to prefer high elevations (Patzelt 2015), having been recorded from the summit of Ra's Mintera, c. 1880 m asl, in the Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011). Globally, the native range of this species spans from Turkey to Socotra and on to China (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). Plants of the World Online lists the UAE as a native country of occurrence for this species (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
It is a perennial grass species which forms tufts and has been recorded as growing on cliffs and other rocky areas at high elevations (Feulner 2011, Patzelt 2015). Cymbopogon iwarancusa is a crop wild relative of lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus (Kameswara Rao 2013).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
It is thought that extended periods of drought may threaten this species, due to an observed decline in abundance within the Ru'us al-Jibal in the late 1990's (Feulner 2011).
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.
