Taxon name
Launaea fragilis
(Asso) Pau
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Launaea fragilis
(Asso) Pau
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Asso) Pau
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
Data Deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The presence and origin of this species in the UAE requires confirmation and, in addition, it may well have been misidentified in the past. Therefore, it is currently assessed as Data Deficient. Further studies are needed to clarify the identification of this species.
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 is mentioned in the draft Red Data Book of the UAE (MEW 2010) as unconfirmed. Two specimens, collected in 1986, from the UAE are held at the University of Vienna Herbarium (WU); the foothill area of Jebel Milaya, Sharjah (<a href=""https://herbarium.univie.ac.at/database/detail.php?ID=910470"">UBT0004415</a>) and from near Al Awir, Dubai (<a href=""https://herbarium.univie.ac.at/database/detail.php?ID=910462"">UBT0004414</a>). The identity and origin of the records of this species in the UAE require confirmation. Globally, this species is considered to be native to eastern Spain, Italy (Sicilia), and Malta in Europe, and in Africa from North Africa and the Sahara (Anthos 2019, 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
The habitat type of this species in the UAE is not known, but based on the two WU herbarium localities. It is found from a cultivated area within gravelly hot desert and rocky hills.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There is no information available on threats, with the last records of this species from 1986.
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.
