Taxon name
Ifloga spicata
(Forssk.) Sch.Bip.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Ifloga spicata
(Forssk.) Sch.Bip.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Forssk.) Sch.Bip.
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 has a wide distribution across the UAE, despite being potentially described as rare. Although it may face threats, the impact of these potential threats on the species is currently unclear. In addition, it also occurs in at least one protected area. Therefore, it is 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
Within the UAE, it is known to occur in Taweela, creating a near continuous distribution along the Arabian Gulf coast (Brown et al. 2007). This coastal strip extends from the west of the UAE, near to Abu Dhabi Island, up to Ra's al-Khaimah in the northeast of the country. There has also been a record of this species occurring at Jebel Hafeet (Brown et al. 2007). Globally, this species is known to occur from Macaronesia and the Mediterranean, through northern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and India (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 species appears to be more abundant in wetter years (Brown et al. 2007). It is an annual herb, which is found growing in sand/gravel plains in addition to wadis (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Brown et al. 2007, Mahmoud et al. 2018). Within these environments, it plays an important ecological role in terms of sand fixation and contribution to biomass (Ghazanfar and Fisher 1998, Heneidy et al. 2018). The plant typically produces 1-3 stems and can grow up to 10 cm in height, producing long pointed leaves along with very small, yellow-green flowers that are present between February and April (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
It is noted that this species may be threatened by habitat loss, over-collection for medicinal use and overgrazing (Heneidy et al. 2018).
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.
