Taxon name
Pycnocycla cespitosa
Boiss. & Hausskn.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Pycnocycla cespitosa
Boiss. & Hausskn.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
Boiss. & Hausskn.
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
Within the UAE, this species is restricted to the eastern mountains, with records from the Ru'us al-Jibal and from the mountains near Hatta. Estimates of the abundance of the species range from ""not common"" to ""occasional"" and ""rare"". Although the extent of occurrence (EOO) is restricted (estimated at 800-1,200 km<sup>2</sup>), the species is assessed as Least Concern as it is thought to occur in more than ten locations, and the UAE national Red List workshop agreed that the species did not meet the threshold for a threatened species. Monitoring is required to understand the impact of grazing.
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 restricted to the eastern mountains, with records from the Ru'us al-Jibal and Hatta (Jongbloed et al. 2003). In the Ru'us al-Jibal, the species is found from c. 500 to 1,550 m asl, and at Hatta, it is found at the higher elevations (Feulner 2011). This species is native to the north-east Arabian Peninsula (UAE and Oman) and Iran (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 a perennial branched plant that is found on hillsides, on silt amongst rocks (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). Feulner (2014) suggests that the species may be dependent on carbonate rock.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The species is grazed (Feulner 2011), presumably by both livestock and by feral animals.
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.
