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 is widespread and dominates montane environments within the UAE. The population trend is inferred to be stable and there don't appear to be any well known threats to the species. 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
It is found within montane regions, ranging from low altitudes up to c. 1200 m (Feulner 2011, Patzelt 2015). A distinctive and common species at Jebel Hafeet (Stuart and Stuart 1998), this plant is also widespread within the Hajar Mountains and can be found in the Olive Highlands (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2014). This species is native to Iran and 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
The species grows as a succulent shrub on rocky slopes and gravel terraces within montane habitats (Perry 2008, Feulner 2011, EAD 2018, Mahmoud et al. 2018). It is a perennial evergreen species which is present throughout spring and summer (Sturt and Stuart 1998, Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012). The lower stems of the plant are woody while the younger stems are bright green (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Round fruit is produced by the plant and it flowers between November to April (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Euphorbia larica is a characteristic species of rocky and stony slopes within the high Hajar Mountains, showing resistance to drought stress and acting as an indicator species for east-facing montane slopes (El-Kablway et al. 2016). It makes use of shallow, spreading roots which capture rain easily (Feulner 2016).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is generally unpalatable but is occasionally browsed by domestic stock (Stuart and Stuart 1998), however it is not known whether this presents a threat to the species.
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.
