| IUCN Species Information Service (SIS) Toolkit |
| Assessment Report | |
| Taxonomy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
| PLANTAE | TRACHEOPHYTA | LILIOPSIDA | ASPARAGALES | IRIDACEAE |
| Scientific Name: | Hesperantha umbricola |
| Species Authority: | Goldblatt |
| Common Name/s: - | |
| Synonym/s: | - |
| Taxonomic Notes: | - |
| Assessment Information | |
|---|---|
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) |
| Year Assessed: | 2023 |
| Assessor/s: | Braun, K. |
| Reviewer/s: | |
| Contributor/s: | |
| Facilitator/s: | |
| Institutions/s: | |
| Justification: Hesperantha umbricola is only known from one specimen collected in 1982, and the locality has since been transformed by highway construction. It is however possible that the plant might still occur at other localities nearby, as there are remaining areas with a similar habitat. Because of this, the species has been assessed as Critically Endangered under Criteria B1 and B2, with an ongoing threat of urban development to its habitat. Date last seen: 1982 | |
| History: | - |
| Geographic Range | |
|---|---|
| Range Description: | This species is only known from one collection in 1982 from Mbabane in Eswatini. The locality has since been transformed by highway construction. It is however possible that the plant might still occur at other localities in the area. |
| Countries: | Native: Eswatini; |
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Population: | This species is only known from one locality which has been transformed by highway construction. There is the possibility that it might occur in locations with similar habitats in the vicinity. |
| Population Trend: | Unknown |
| Habitat and Ecology | |
|---|---|
| Habitat and Ecology: | This plant was collected in deep shade under a large boulder, growing with Dietes and Streptocarpus, on a rocky hillside above the centre of Mbabane. The plant was found in the grassland biome, in vegetation type KaNgwane Montane Grassland (Gm16) (Mucina et. al. 2018). |
| List of Habitats: | 4 Grassland 4.7 Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude |
| Threats | |
|---|---|
| Major Threat(s): | This species is only known from one locality within the urban area, which was transformed by highway construction. Similar localities of this habitat do occur in the area, but are at risk from further urban development. As the micro-habitat for this species involves large granite boulders, it is possible that pockets of this habitat type might remain in spite of the urban development. |
| List of Threats: | 1 Residential & commercial development 1.1 Housing & urban areas |
| Conservation Actions | |
|---|---|
| Conservation Actions: | In spite of the loss of habitat from the one known locality for this species, it is possible that it still occurs within the general area. There is currently no formal conservation for this habitat in the Mbabane area, but establishment of small flora reserves within the Mbabane urban area could potentially protect the habitat for this species. |
| List of Conservation Actions: | 1 Land/water protection 1.2 Resource & habitat protection 3 Species management 3.4 Ex-situ conservation 3.4.2 Genome resource bank |
| Bibliography | |
|---|---|
| Bachman
S, Moat J, Hill AW, de la Torre J and Scott B. 2011. Supporting Red
List threat assessments with GeoCAT geospatial conservation tool. In:
Smith V, Penev L (Eds) e-Infrastructure for data publishing in
biodiversity science. . ZooKeys 150: 117-126. Mucina, L., Rutherford, M.C. and Powrie, L.W. (Editors). 2018. The Vegetation Map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Available at: http://bgis.sanbi.org/Projects/Detail/186. | |
| Citation: | - |