Boswellia popoviana

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
PLANTAE	TRACHEOPHYTA	MAGNOLIOPSIDA	SAPINDALES	BURSERACEAE

Scientific Name:	Boswellia popoviana
Species Authority:	Hepper

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable D2 ver 3.1

Year Published:

2004

Assessor/s:

Miller, A.

Reviewer/s:

Abuzinada, A.H. & AL-Eisawi, D.M.H. (Arabian Plants Red List Authority)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
A rare species, with a fragmented distribution and limited area of occupancy; several populations show no sign of regeneration suggesting a decline in the quality of habitat.

History:

1998	–	Vulnerable (Oldfield et al. 1998)
1998	–	Vulnerable

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Endemic to Soqotra.
Countries:	Native: Yemen (Socotra)
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population Trend:	Unknown

Population Trend:

Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Scattered on limestone cliffs in dry, semi-deciduous woodland. Altitude of 20–550(–1,050) m. A narrower concept of this species has been adopted here (compared to that of Thulin and Al-Gifri 1998), including all cliff-rooting trees bearing leaves with white-felted undersurfaces. It is found on limestone (and occasionally granite) cliffs in central-northern and central-southern Soqotra and includes. Two, distinct forms can be recognized: those with entire, rather regularly crenate leaves, found in the wadis draining to the south of the island; and those with simple or deeply lobed leaves with irregularly crenate and somewhat sinuate margins from the limestone areas to the northwest of the Haggeher mountains. Trees in Wadi Terubah bearing both entire and simple leaves are possibly the result of hybridsation with B. elongata. A dwarf, prostrate form of B. popoviana (cf. forms of B. nana) was recently also found on the limestone ridge at Heger (between Riy di Isfer and Riy do Sherubrub) limestone in the extreme west of Soqotra above Bandar Shu'ub.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

Scattered on limestone cliffs in dry, semi-deciduous woodland. Altitude of 20–550(–1,050) m.

A narrower concept of this species has been adopted here (compared to that of Thulin and Al-Gifri 1998), including all cliff-rooting trees bearing leaves with white-felted undersurfaces. It is found on limestone (and occasionally granite) cliffs in central-northern and central-southern Soqotra and includes. Two, distinct forms can be recognized: those with entire, rather regularly crenate leaves, found in the wadis draining to the south of the island; and those with simple or deeply lobed leaves with irregularly crenate and somewhat sinuate margins from the limestone areas to the northwest of the Haggeher mountains. Trees in Wadi Terubah bearing both entire and simple leaves are possibly the result of hybridsation with B. elongata. A dwarf, prostrate form of B. popoviana (cf. forms of B. nana) was recently also found on the limestone ridge at Heger (between Riy di Isfer and Riy do Sherubrub) limestone in the extreme west of Soqotra above Bandar Shu'ub.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Some Boswellia species are exploited for the resin but none at a commercial level.

Major Threat(s):

Some Boswellia species are exploited for the resin but none at a commercial level.

Citation:	Miller, A. 2004. Boswellia popoviana. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2013.
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