Taxon name
Plocama aucheri
(Guill.) M.Backlund & Thulin
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Plocama aucheri
(Guill.) M.Backlund & Thulin
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Guill.) M.Backlund & Thulin
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 reportedly common throughout its range in the UAE. It has previously been assessed as Least Concern and appears to exist in protected areas such as the Wadi Wurayah National Park. It is unclear whether it is definitely grazed and whether this poses a threat to the species. As a result, 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
Plocama aucheri is known to occur in the Hajar Mountains, however it prefers low altitudes, and is considered as rare above c. 700 m and absent above c. 1,100 m (Feulner 2011). It is also recorded from the foot of Jebel Hafeet, where it is thought to be frequent (Perry 2008). Globally, this species is found from the Arabian Peninsula to Pakistan (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 is found growing at low altitudes of montane habitats (Feulner 2011, Mahmoud et al. 2018), typically within wadi and terrace habitats (Feulner 2016). Plocama aucheri can also be found growing in gravel plains (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is a perennial shrub that produces white trumpet flowers between January and May and has worm-like leaves (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012, Feulner 2016). The shrub is moderately salt tolerant and can grow in salty wadi environments (Karim and Dakheel 2006).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species appears to be grazed (Feulner 2011, Shahid 2017), which may threaten it within parts of its distribution. However, other sources also claim that it isn't browsed by livestock (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2016).
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.
