Taxon name
Indigofera argentea
Burm.f.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Indigofera argentea
Burm.f.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
Burm.f.
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
Data Deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
There is persisting confusion regarding whether records are truly Indigofera argentea or misidentified as Indigofera colutea. Therefore, it is currently assessed as Data Deficient pending research to confirm its taxonomy.
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 known from Al Ain within the UAE. It is now considered to have a more restricted distribution than previously thought as a result of confusion with a related species, Indigofera colutea, which occurs along the west of the UAE (Ghazanfar and Fisher 1998, Jongbloed et al. 2003). Globally, this species occurs from the Sahara to India (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
In terms of appearance, habitat and ecology, this species is described as being quite similar to Indigofera colutea (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It has woody stems and grows to moderate heights (around 50 cm) in addition to producing flowers between January and July (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Differing to I. colutea, it has a silvery aspect, however it also exhibits a perennial life cycle (Jongbloed et al. 2003). This species is found growing on sand plains, sand dunes and along roadsides, in addition to favouring gravel wadi beds (Jongbloed et al. 2003). I. argentea is a crop wild relative of indigo, I. tinctoria (Kameswara Rao 2013).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is known to be affected by grazing, as it is more often seen in areas with lower grazing pressure. Coastal populations are likely to have been impacted by development.
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.
