Taxon name
Umbilicus horizontalis
(Guss.) DC.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Umbilicus horizontalis
(Guss.) DC.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Guss.) DC.
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 found in the UAE in the Ru'us al-Jibal and the central-northern Hajar Mountains. Whilst the extent of occurrence (EOO) is restricted, it is considered unlikely that the species has undergone significant decline or is threatened, and it 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
This species was first recorded for the UAE from Wadi Beh (Bih) by Böer and Chaudhary (1999). Later recorded (as Umbilicus horizontalis var. intermedius) in the UAE from the Ru'us al Jibal, Sha'am (Ras al-Khaimah) and Masafi (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Feulner (2011) recorded the species in the Ru'us al-Jibal from 500 m to at least 1,750 m asl and commented that the species is restricted in the UAE to the Ru'us al Jibal and Masafi, being either rare or absent from the Hajar Mountains to the south. This species has a Mediterranean distribution, present in southern Europe and North Africa, extending east 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
Umbilicus horizontalis is found in mountain areas, in rock overhangs and crevices, and terrace walls (Jongbloed et al. 2003) in addition to shaded sites (G.R. Feulner, in litt, MEW 2010). It grows as a perennial herb up to 0.3 m in height, flowering from February to March (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There is no information available. Grazing by livestock may impact the species in parts of its range, where it is accessible to livestock.
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.
