Taxon name
Glossonema varians
(Stocks) Benth. ex Hook.f.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Glossonema varians
(Stocks) Benth. ex Hook.f.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Stocks) Benth. ex Hook.f.
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
Near Threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D1
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is considered to be rare within its range and is often grazed to the point of visibly stunted growth. This may pose a significant threat to the species, however the full extent of this is still unclear. Although the species occurs in a National Park, it is important to draw attention to this potentially threatened and rare species. As a result, it is cautiously assessed as Vulnerable (D1) as a result of the small number of mature individuals, which is suspected to be close to or less than 1,000, but no reliable count has been made. It also has a restricted distribution (estimated EOO: 6,378 km<sup>2</sup>). The species occurs in adjacent parts of Oman and the seed is wind-dispersed, therefore the assessment is revised down by one category to Near Threatened.
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
In the UAE, this species occurs in the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003), the Ru'us al-Jibal mountains, the Wadi Wurayah National Park, and in the Olive Highlands (Feulner 2011, 2016). It has been recorded at altitudes up to 1,900 m (Feulner 2011). The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) of this species is 5,714 km<sup>2</sup>. Individual records include the upper parts of Wadi Sfai (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). It has also been recorded from Jebel Hafeet and from the Al Ain area. Globally, this species occurs in the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan and India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2018).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This is a perennial or annual succulent that grows up to 35 cm (Western 1992, Jongbloed et al. 2003). It produces purple flowers between February and May, in addition to characteristic pickle-shaped fruit, and grows among rocks, gravel plains, wadis and mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2016). When the plant is damaged, it secretes milky sap (latex) which is characteristic of Asciepiadaceae species (Western 1992). The species is considered to be a xerohalophyte i.e. a salt-tolerant desert species (Böer and Saenger 2006).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is may be difficult to identify as the plant is often grazed to the point of a very stunted growth form (Western 1992) and fruits are consumed by people.
History
The situation is not thought to have changed for this species since 1996.
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.
