Red List Status
LC - Least Concern, (IUCN version 3.1)

Red List Assessment

Red List Status

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

Assessment Information

Date of Assessment: 2023-01-19

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

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

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 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.

Area of Occupancy (AOO)

Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - in km2	Justification
36	The estimated area of occupancy is based on the locality information from 17 records. Some of these are probably from the same sub-populations, accurate locality information not being available from the older herbarium specimen labels. The estimated area of occupancy was calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011), with the standard 2x2 km grid cell being applied.

Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO)	Qualifier	Justification
Unknown	-	There is no current information on any decline in area of occupancy.

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO)	Justification
Unknown	There is no current information on extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy.

Extent of Occurrence (EOO)

Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO)- in km2	EOO estimate calculated from Minimum Convex Polygon	Justification
324.059	true	The extent of occurrence has been estimated from 17 records, calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011). One record from 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.

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Qualifier	Justification
Unknown	-	There is no current information on any decline in extent of occurrence.

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Justification
Unknown	There is no current information on extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence.

Locations Information

Number of Locations: (Not specified)

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
No	The estimated area of occupancy is greater than 20 km2, and there are more than five locations.

Elevation / Depth / Depth Zones

Elevation Lower Limit (in metres above sea level): 1100

Elevation Upper Limit (in metres above sea level): 1650

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	Extant	Native	-	Resident

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 Information

Current Population Trend: Stable

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 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).

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
No	Inferred	It is inferred that the hilltop habitats occupied by this species have not significantly deteriorated in recent years.

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)

Conservation

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.

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: (Not specified)

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	None of the areas where this species has been recorded are currently protected.

Research Needed

Research	Note
1.2. Research -> Population size, distribution & trends	It is possible that this species is more widely distributed than current records indicate, more fieldwork is required to determine this.
1.3. Research -> Life history & ecology	There is no information yet on the life history and ecology of this species.

Ornithogalum annae-ameliae - U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies