Taxon name
Lappula spinocarpos
(Forssk.) Asch. ex Kuntze
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Lappula spinocarpos
(Forssk.) Asch. ex Kuntze
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Forssk.) Asch. ex Kuntze
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 fairly widespread within the northeast of the UAE, particularly in mountain areas. Although this species is described as rare, this is likely due to under-collection. It is also recorded to occur in at least one National Park. 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, this species has been recently described at Jebel Hafeet (Sakkir and Brown 2013). It also appears to occur within the Hajar Mountains and the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Globally, the native range of this species spans across the Sahara in northern Africa, through to the Arabian Peninsula and through to Pakistan and southern European Russia (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 is an annual herb species that grows up to 15 cm in height (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Norton et al. 2009, Sakkir and Brown 2013). The plant has linear leaves with a folded midrib and produces light-blue or white flowers between February and April (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The fruit is spiny and yellow-green in colour (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is generally found growing within sand and gravel on the sloped of low mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There is no information available.
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.
