Arthrocaulon macrostachyum | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Taxa
Arthrocaulon macrostachyum | (Moric.) Piirainen & G.Kadereit
Publication
UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Plants
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Flowering Plants
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Within the UAE, it occurs along coastal areas including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah (Karim and Dakheel 2006, MEW 2010). The species is becoming more localised on the east coast due to development; a large area has been lost completely over the past decade (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019). It has also been recorded from the offshore islands of Abu Dhabi (Sakkir et al. 2017). Globally, this species is native to the Mediterranean, Macaronesia and parts of Africa, in addition to the Arabian Peninsula and Senegal (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This 'salt-bush' halophyte species grows within salt-marsh, coastal sand and mangrove ecosystems (Böer and Saenger 2006, Feulner and Hornby 2008, Hornby 2003). It is a perennial succulent shrub that can reach up to 125 cm in height (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). It produces cone-like yellow flower spikes in the Autumn (September - December) and also has small ovoid seeds (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Karim and Dakheel 2006). The shrub may be parasitised by Cynomorium coccineum and Cistanche tubulosa (Perry 2008).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least Concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
Although this species has undergone declines (including the loss of localities along the east coast of the UAE), and is currently threatened by ongoing development, it remains relatively widespread throughout the country. As a result, it is likely to far exceed the distribution range required to meet the threshold for threatened categories. Therefore, it is assessed as Least Concern with the need to review this status as coastal development continues.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
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.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
This species is threatened by development on the East coast (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019) which can cause habitat loss (Heneidy et al. 2018).
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Arthrocaulon macrostachyum Plantae Tracheophyta Magnoliopsida Caryophyllales Amaranthaceae Arthrocaulon