Taxon name
Sphaerocoma hookeri
T.Anderson
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Sphaerocoma hookeri
T.Anderson
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
T.Anderson
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
Qualifying criteria (if given)
B1ab(iii,iv,v)
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is restricted to a specific length of coastline, and its surrounding desert area, within the UAE. Its estimated Extent of Occurrence (EOO) is around 18,168 km<sup>2</sup>, which falls within the threshold for Vulnerable under criterion B1. It is thought to occur at between 6-10 threat-based locations. Within its range, development along the coast is inferred to be reducing the population of this species due to conversion and loss of habitat. Therefore, it is assessed as Vulnerable (VU B1ab(iii,iv,v)) as a result of ongoing habitat decline and restricted distribution.
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, it is known to occur to the northeast of Taweela (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019) and along the coast in the northern Emirates (G.R. Feulner in litt., MEW 2010), in addition to offshore islands (G. Brown and S. Sakkir pers. comm. 2019). Although it was previously recorded from Jebel Hafeet, this record is thought to be erroneous due to possible confusion with Gymnocarpos decandrus (Brown et al. 2007). The estimated EOO for this species is 18,168 km<sup>2</sup> and it is thought to occur at between 6-10 threat-based locations according to ongoing development. Globally, the native range of this species spans from Egypt and north-east Africa to Sinai 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
It is a perennial dwarf shrub which can reach up to 0.85 m in height (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006, Brown et al. 2007). The plant has a woody stem, small fleshy leaves arranged in whorls and small white flowers which are present between February and June (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). This species grows within coastal, salty sand habitats, including sand dunes and coralline sand, in addition to white sand habitats; it is also highly salt tolerant (Karim and Dakheel 2006, Perry 2008).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is threatened by development within coastal areas, including its range (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019). This threat has led to the loss of at least one locality for this species: Taweela.
History
In 1996 it would have been assessed as Least Concern, but due to ongoing development and loss of certain areas, such as Taweela, it is now listed as Vulnerable.
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.
