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Cordia quercifolia | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Publication
UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
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, this species is known from one hillside on the northern slopes of Jebel Naqab within the Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011). It has been recorded from a single locality within this area (MEW 2010). All known individuals have been found in localities inaccessible to livestock. Globally, this species is native to dry and tropical Africa, in addition to the Arabian Peninsula, India and Sri Lanka (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
It is a straggling tree with fruit, and perhaps leaves, that are edible to livestock. This species is generally found growing on rocky ledges in the mountains.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Critically Endangered
Assessment status abreviation
CR
Assessment status criteria
D
Assessment rationale/justification
Fewer than ten individuals are known from a single location in the UAE. Therefore, Cordia quercifolia is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR D). There is no reason to doubt the native origin of the species in the UAE, despite the species being known from abandoned agricultural areas, as the species is not known to be associated with agricultural areas elsewhere.
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
It is likely that Cordia quercifolia is grazed by animals; the currently known individuals occur in localities inaccessible to livestock, but this restricted distribution may be the result of past grazing, and ongoing grazing may prevent colonisation.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The species was not recorded in the UAE in 1996 but it is possible that the species was present either in the seedbank or as underground rhizomes, or simply not found, or identified, in surveys. We consider that it is likely to have been present but in similarly small numbers, and would have qualified as CR in 1996.