Taxon name
Corchorus depressus
(L.) Stocks
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Corchorus depressus
(L.) Stocks
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(L.) Stocks
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 generally considered common throughout much of the eastern UAE. However, a large proportion of its range occurs along the east coast of the UAE, which is subject to ongoing development reducing the extent and quality of available habitat. Given the estimated extent of occurrence of 7,369 km<sup>2</sup>, the species potentially qualifies as Near Threatened on the basis of its restricted EOO and continuing decline in parts of its range. However it is considered here as Least Concern on the basis of its moderately wide distribution in the country and stable populations generally.
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 recorded from the plains at the foot of Jebel Hafeet and along the east coast of the UAE (Jongbloed et al. 2003). This species tends to occur at lower altitudes and on gentler slopes (Ghazanfar and Fisher 1998, Feulner 2011). The estimated EOO is 7,369 km<sup>2</sup>, however the AOO and the current number of locations is unknown. Its native range is from Macaronesia to 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 inhabits gravel and sand plains (Ghazanfar and Fisher 1998, Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is a perennial species with a woody base and stems, which can grow up to 0.3 m in height (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The leaves are oval in shape and have a scalloped edge, while flowers are present between January to May and are pale yellow in colour with prominent yellow anthers (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It produces a cylindrical woody capsule for fruit (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is described as a herb by Mahmoud et al. (2018), while Fawzi and Ksiksi (2012) describe it as a grass.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
As this species occurs along the east coast of the UAE, it is likely to have been affected by ongoing coastal development.
History
Coastal development along the east coast of the UAE has increased since 1996, and so its Red List status is thought to have deteriorated in the intervening time.
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.
