Taxon name
Iphiona aucheri
(Boiss.) Anderb.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Iphiona aucheri
(Boiss.) Anderb.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Boiss.) Anderb.
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
In the UAE, the species occurs from Hatta southwards in the Hajar Mountains and also occurs on Jebel Hafeet. G.R. Feulner (in litt, MEW 2010) considers that it was possibly introduced in the 1970s or early 1980s. The species was uncommon but is expanding in the UAE, although the origin of the species in the UAE requires further research. Biogeographically, the species might be native, but there are examples of species that occur in Iran and further south in the Hajar Mountains, but not in the UAE (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019). It is considered Data Deficient due to uncertainty over the origin of the species in the UAE. If proven to be native to the country, the species would be 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
In the UAE, the species occurs from Hatta southwards in the Hajar Mountains (south of Wilayat Mahdhah; Feulner 2014) and also occurs on Jebel Hafeet (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Jongbloed et al. (2003) comment that the species was first recorded from the UAE area from Jebel Qatar (in Oman) near Al Ain in 1983, but spread along the mountains despite attempts at eradication because of its toxicity to camels. Feulner (2014) comments that the species is perhaps a recently arrived species. The distribution is expanding in the UAE, and it has been recorded from Ajmaan and from Madam (recorded in 1989). Plants of the World Online (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019) gives the native range of the species as Oman and Iran.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Iphiona aucheri is found on gravel plains and the lower elevations of mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The species has been the focus of eradication attempts due to its toxicity.
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.
