Red List Status
CR - Critically Endangered, B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) (IUCN version 3.1)

Possibly Extinct:	Yes
Possibly Extinct in the Wild:	No
Date Last Recorded (in the wild):	1982

Red List Assessment

Red List Status

Is the reassessment subject to the 5-year rule? (Not specified)

Assessment Information

Date of Assessment: 2023-01-10

Reviewed? (Not specified)

Assessor(s): Braun, K.

Reviewer(s): (Not specified)

Contributor(s): (Not specified)

Facilitators/Compilers: (Not specified)

Institution(s): (Not specified)

Acknowledgements: (Not specified)

Regions: Global

Regional Expert Questions: (Not specified)

Assessment Rationale

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

Reasons for Change

Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment: (Not specified)

Red List Index

Red List Index: (Not specified)

Distribution

Geographic Range

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.

Area of Occupancy (AOO)

Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - in km2	Justification
0	This species is only known from one locality which has been transformed by highway construction.

Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO): (Not specified)

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO): (Not specified)

Extent of Occurrence (EOO)

Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO)- in km2	EOO estimate calculated from Minimum Convex Polygon	Justification
0	true	This species is only known from one locality which has been transformed by highway construction. The estimated extent of occurrence was calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011).

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO): (Not specified)

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO): (Not specified)

Locations Information

Number of Locations	Justification
0	This species is only known from one locality which has been transformed by highway construction. It is possible that it might still occur in other localities in the vicinity.

Continuing decline in number of locations: (Not specified)

Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations: (Not specified)

Very restricted AOO or number of locations (triggers VU D2)

Very restricted in area of occupancy (AOO) and/or # of locations	Justification
Yes	This species is only known from one locality which has been transformed by highway construction.

Elevation / Depth / Depth Zones

Elevation Lower Limit (in metres above sea level): 1170

Elevation Upper Limit (in metres above sea level): 1170

Depth Lower Limit (in metres below sea level): (Not specified)

Depth Upper Limit (in metres below sea level): (Not specified)

Depth Zone: (Not specified)

Map Status

Map Status: (Not specified)

Biogeographic Realms

Biogeographic Realm: Afrotropical

Country	Presence	Origin	Formerly Bred	Seasonality
Eswatini	Possibly Extant	Native	-	Resident

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 Information

Current Population Trend: Unknown

Number of mature individuals (=population size): (Not specified)

Extreme fluctuations? (in # of mature individuals): (Not specified)

Severely fragmented? (Not specified)

Continuing decline in mature individuals? (Not specified)

Continuing decline % in mature individuals within 1 generation or 3 years, whichever is longer (up to max. of 100 years in the future): (Not specified)

Continuing decline % in mature individuals within 2 generations or 5 years, whichever is longer (up to max. of 100 years in the future): (Not specified)

Continuing decline % in mature individuals within 3 generations or 10 years, whichever is longer (up to max. of 100 years in the future): (Not specified)

Extreme fluctuations in the number of subpopulations: (Not specified)

Continuing decline in number of subpopulations: (Not specified)

All individuals in one subpopulation: (Not specified)

Number of mature individuals in largest subpopulation: (Not specified)

Number of Subpopulations: (Not specified)

Population Reduction - Past

Percent Change in past: (Not specified)

Past Population Reduction Basis: (Not specified)

Causes of past reduction reversible? (Not specified)

Causes of past reduction understood? (Not specified)

Causes of past reduction ceased? (Not specified)

Population Reduction - Future

Percent Change in future: (Not specified)

Future Population Reduction Basis: (Not specified)

Population Reduction - Ongoing

Both: Percent Change over any 10 year or 3 generation period, whichever is longer, and must include both past and future, future can't go beyond 100 years: (Not specified)

Both Population Reduction Basis: (Not specified)

Causes of both (past and future) reduction reversible? (Not specified)

Causes of both (past and future) reduction understood? (Not specified)

Causes of both (past and future) reduction ceased? (Not specified)

Quantitative Analysis

Probability of extinction in the wild within 3 generations or 10 years, whichever is longer, maximum 100 years: (Not specified)

Probability of extinction in the wild within 5 generations or 20 years, whichever is longer, maximum 100 years: (Not specified)

Probability of extinction in the wild within 100 years: (Not specified)

Habitats 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).

IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme

Habitat	Season	Suitability	Major Importance?
4.7. Grassland -> Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude	-	Suitable	Yes

Continuing Decline in Habitat

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat?	Qualifier	Justification
Yes	Inferred	This plant has only been found in one locality within the Mbabane urban area. Ongoing urban development provides a threat to the habitat.

Life History

Generation Length: (Not specified)

Age at maturity: female or unspecified: (Not specified)

Age at Maturity: Male: (Not specified)

Size at Maturity (in cms): Female: (Not specified)

Size at Maturity (in cms): Male: (Not specified)

Longevity: (Not specified)

Average Reproductive Age: (Not specified)

Maximum Size (in cms): (Not specified)

Size at Birth (in cms): (Not specified)

Gestation Time: (Not specified)

Reproductive Periodicity: (Not specified)

Average Annual Fecundity or Litter Size: (Not specified)

Annual Rate of Population Increase: (Not specified)

Natural Mortality: (Not specified)

Does the species lay eggs? (Not specified)

Does the species give birth to live young: (Not specified)

Does the species exhibit parthenogenesis: (Not specified)

Does the species have a free-living larval stage? (Not specified)

Does the species require water for breeding? (Not specified)

Movement Patterns

Movement Patterns: (Not specified)

Congregatory: (Not specified)

Systems

System: Terrestrial

Plant / Fungi Specific

Wild relative of a crop? (Not specified)

Plant and Fungal Growth Forms: (Not specified)

Use and Trade

General Use and Trade Information

Species not utilized: (Not specified)

No use/trade information for this species: true

General notes regarding trade and use of this species: (Not specified)

Local Livelihood: (Not specified)

National Commercial Value: (Not specified)

International Commercial Value: (Not specified)

End Use: (Not specified)

Is there harvest from captive/cultivated sources of this species? (Not specified)

Trend in level of total offtake from wild sources: (Not specified)

Trend in level of total offtake from domesticated sources: (Not specified)

Harvest Trend Comments: (Not specified)

Non- Consumptive Use

Non-consumptive use of the species? (Not specified)

Explanation of non-consumptive use: (Not specified)

Livelihoods

Livelihoods: (Not specified)

Threats

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.

Threats Classification Scheme

No past, ongoing, or future threats exist to this species. (Not specified)

The threats to this species are unknown. (Not specified)

Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity
1.1. Residential & commercial development -> Housing & urban areas	Ongoing	Minority (<50%)	Rapid Declines

Conservation

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.

Conservation Actions In- Place

Action Recovery Plan	Note
No	-

Systematic monitoring scheme	Note
No	-

Conservation sites identified	Note
No	-

Occur in at least one PA	Note
No	-

Percentage of population protected by PAs (0-100)	Note
0	-

Area based regional management plan	Note
No	-

Invasive species control or prevention	Note
No	-

Harvest management plan	Note
No	-

Successfully reintroduced or introduced benignly	Note
No	-

Subject to ex-situ conservation	Note
No	-

Subject to recent education and awareness programmes	Note
No	-

Included in international legislation	Note
No	-

Subject to any international management/trade controls	Note
No	-

Important Conservation Actions Needed

Conservation Actions	Note
1.2. Land/water protection -> Resource & habitat protection	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.
3.4.2. Species management -> Ex-situ conservation -> Genome resource bank	If this plant can be found again, collection of material for ex-situ conservation would provide a means of preventing the extinction of this species.

Research Needed

Research	Note
1.2. Research -> Population size, distribution & trends	Fieldwork is required in order to determine whether any plants of this species still exist in the wild.

Hesperantha umbricola - Goldblatt