Taxon name
Scrophularia arguta
Aiton
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Scrophularia arguta
Aiton
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 restricted to the Ru'us al-Jibal Mountains and parts of the Hajar Mountains in the UAE at up to 1,200 m elevation, with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of less than 1,000 km<sup>2</sup>. Although the EOO, and probably the AOO is restricted, and the impact of grazing requires further research, the species is assumed to occur in many more than ten locations and is therefore 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
The species has a restricted distribution in the UAE, where it is found in the Ru'us al-Jibal Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003) at up to 1,200 m elevation (Feulner 2011), extending into the Hajar Mountains, south to Wadi Wurayah National Park (Wadi Zikt, G.R. Feulner, in litt, MEW 2010), and even to Wadi Fa'y (near Wadi Hatta), including Wadi Shawka (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019), but as isolated records rather than as a continuous distribution. The EOO is less than 1,000 km<sup>2</sup>. The global range of this species is from Spain and Macaronesia, across north and north-east Africa, through to 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
This annual herb is found in wadis on silt among rocks and in or beside fallow fields (Feulner 2011, M. Jongbloed pers. comm. 2019). It is also found on gravel wadi banks in the Hajar Mountains (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Although its edibility is not known, grazing by goats may impact this 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.
