Assessment Report - Ornithogalum annae-ameliae

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	Assessment Report

Taxonomy
Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
PLANTAE	TRACHEOPHYTA	LILIOPSIDA	ASPARAGALES	ASPARAGACEAE

Scientific Name:	Ornithogalum annae-ameliae
Species Authority:	U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies
Common Name/s: -
Synonym/s:	-
Taxonomic Notes:	-

Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern N/A
Year Assessed:	2023
Assessor/s:	Braun, K.
Reviewer/s:
Contributor/s:
Facilitator/s:
Institutions/s:
Justification: Ornithogalum annae-ameliae has a restricted distribution, known from northwestern Eswatini and adjacent areas in South Africa, with an estimated extent of occurrence of 504.324 km² and an area of occupancy of 44 km². Although its known localities are not within protected areas, it is found on rocky hilltops, sheltered by boulders, which would provide protection from the potential threat of overgrazing by livestock. Based on this, it has been assumed that the population is stable, and it has been assessed as Least Concern. Date last seen: 2021
History:	-

Geographic Range
Range Description:	This species has a restricted distribution in the Eswatini highveld. One record from Bulembu area in 2017 extended the distribution significantly, as prior to this the species had only been found in the Mbabane area and to the north east of Mbabane. It is possible that this species is under-collected, due to its small size it is easily overlooked. The lower level for the altitude range is possibly incorrect, as it has been based on coordinates estimated from a locality description, in an area with significant altitude variations. The Bulembu location for this species, close to the border with South Africa, could indicate that this species might also be found in South Africa.
Countries:	Native: Eswatini;

Geographic Range

Range Description:

This species has a restricted distribution in the Eswatini highveld. One record from Bulembu area in 2017 extended the distribution significantly, as prior to this the species had only been found in the Mbabane area and to the north east of Mbabane. It is possible that this species is under-collected, due to its small size it is easily overlooked. The lower level for the altitude range is possibly incorrect, as it has been based on coordinates estimated from a locality description, in an area with significant altitude variations. The Bulembu location for this species, close to the border with South Africa, could indicate that this species might also be found in South Africa.

Countries:

Native:
Eswatini;

Population
Population:	No population surveys have been conducted for this species. However, due to the micro habitat for this species being at the base of, or under, large boulders, this provides the plants with some protection from grazing, and it is probable that there have not been any major changes in population size.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology
Habitat and Ecology:	This species is found on hilltops, usually sheltered by large boulders, in moist, peaty soil. The plant is found 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):	The occurrence of this species in the shelter of large boulders protects it to some degree from both grazing and burning. Major land use changes might affect this species, but these are not currently apparent for most of the distribution of the plant.
List of Threats:	-

Conservation Actions
Conservation Actions:	This species is currently not found within any formal protected areas. Due to the occurrence of other priority species in very similar habitats, the establishment of conservation areas in such habitats would provide protection for this plant as well.
List of Conservation Actions:	1 Land/water protection 1.2 Resource & habitat protection

Bibliography
	Bachman S, Moat J, Hill AW, de la Torre J, 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.

Bibliography

Bachman S, Moat J, Hill AW, de la Torre J, 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: