Hedysarum fruticosum LC Taxonomic Authority: Pall.  Global Assessment  Regional Assessment Region: Global  Endemic to region Synonyms Common Names SHRUBBY SWEETVETCH English

Upper Level Taxonomy Kingdom: PLANTAE Phylum: TRACHEOPHYTA Class: MAGNOLIOPSIDA Order: FABALES Family: LEGUMINOSAE Lower Level Taxonomy Rank: Infra- rank name:  Plant Hybrid Subpopulation: Authority:

General Information Distribution Species distributed in temperate Asia.

Range Size Elevation Biogeographic Realm Area of Occupancy: Upper limit: 1200  Afrotropical Extent of Occurrence: Lower limit: 360  Antarctic Map Status: Depth  Australasian Upper limit:  Neotropical Lower limit:  Oceanian Depth Zones  Palearctic  Shallow photic  Bathyl  Hadal  Indomalayan  Photic  Abyssal  Nearctic Population The population size of the species is not known but recent surveys in 2006 recorded 20 plants from China (MSBP 2010).

Total Population Size Minimum Population Size: Maximum Population Size: Habitat and Ecology Hedysarum fruticosum is a shrub which occurs in semi-scrub and desert steppe. It is also found in pine forest. It has been described as a perfect sand-fixing and good forage plant (Dzyubenko and Dzyubenko 2003-2009).

System Movement pattern Crop Wild Relative  Terrestrial  Freshwater  Nomadic  Congregatory/Dispersive  Is the species a wild relative of a crop?   Marine  Migratory  Altitudinally migrant

Growth From Definition Shrub - size unkno Perennial shrub (any size), also termed a Phanerophyte if >1m or a Chamaephyte if <1m

Threats There are no known major threats to this species. However it has been described as palatable and it is present in areas which are subject to intense grazing by goats, sheep and cattle. This shrub species appear to be adapted to survive under light grazing pressure but demostrates a negative response to higher degradation level (Feng-Rui 2007).

Past Present Future 13 None    Conservation Measures Specimens have been collected within protected areas on the range of the species such as Khugnekhaan Nature Reserve and Uvs Nuur Basin Strict Protected Area in Mongolia. Seeds have been collected as part of the Millennium Seed Bank Project and by USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. One collection is known to occur in a Botanical Garden. Due to its palatability further surveys to monitoring the population trend of the species would be reccomended.

In Place Needed 3 Research actions   3.2 Population numbers and range   3.5 Threats   3.9 Trends/Monitoring   4 Habitat and site-based actions   4.4 Protected areas   5 Species-based actions   5.7 Ex situ conservation actions   5.7.2 Genome resource bank  

Countries of Occurrence

PRESENCE ORIGIN Year Breeding Non- Passage Possibly Extinct Presence Native Introduced Re- Vagrant Origin Round Season breeding migrant extinct uncertain Introduced uncertain only season only China             Hebei             Liaoning             Nei Monggol             Shaanxi             Xinjiang             Mongolia             Russian Federation             Buryatiya             Chita             Tuva             General Habitats Score Description Major Importance 4 Grassland 1 Suitable Unset 4.4 Grassland - Temperate 1 Suitable Unset

Ecosystem Services  Insufficient Information available  Species provides no ecosystem services Score according to relative importance where 1 = very important, 2 = important, 3 = some importance, 4 = not important/relevant and 5 = not known. Ecosystem service Score (from 1 to 5) Geographic range over which benefits are felt? Water Quality Water Supplies Flood Control Climate Regulation Landscape Air Quality Nutrient Cycling Habitat Maintenance Provision of Critical Habitat Pollination Erosion Control 2 Regional Biocontrol Shoreline Protection Other (specify) Define Other: Other (specify) Define Other:

Species Utilisation  Species is not utilised at all

Purpose / Type of Use Subsistence National International 13. Pets/display animals, horticulture    2. Food - animal    9. Construction/structural materials    Hedysarum fruticosum is one of the common species for combating desertification in the semi-arid area of China (Zheng et al. 2005). May be used as forage plant. Good feed for horses, and perfect sand-fixing plant (Dzyubenko and Dzyubenko 2003-2009).

Trend in the level of wild offtake/harvest in relation to total wild population numbers over the last five years: Unknown Trend in the amount of offtake/harvest produced through domestication/cultivation over the last five years: Unknown CITES status: Not listed IUCN Red Listing Red List Assessment: (using 2001 IUCN system) Least Concern (LC)

Red List Criteria: Date Last Seen (only for EX, EW or Possibly EX species): Is the species Possibly Extinct?  Possibly Extinct Candidate?  Rationale for the Red List Assessment H. fruticosum is listed as Least Concern due to its wide distribution range, apparently stable population and its importance use for ecology as a sand-fixing plant. However it is present in areas which are subject to intense grazing and being a palatable species it is recommended that surveys are carried out to assess the level of this threat and the impact on population sizes. Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment:  Genuine Change  Nongenuine Change  No Change  Genuine (recent)  New information  Taxonomy  Same category  Genuine (since first assessment)  Knowledge of Criteria  Criteria Revisio and criteria  Incorrect data used  Other  Same category but previously change in criteria Current Population Trend: Stable Date of Assessment: 23/08/2010 Name(s) of the Assessor(s): Lopez, L. Evaluator(s): Notes:

% population decline in the past: Time period over which the past decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): % population decline in the future: Time period over which the future decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): Number of Locations: Severely Fragmented: Number of Mature Individuals:

Bibliography Dzyubenko, N.I. and Dzyubenko, E.A., 2003-2009, Hedysaarum fruticosum. Project «Interactive Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries. Economic Plants and their Diseases, Pests and Weeds», , , FAO, 2003, Transhumant grazing systems in temperate Asia, FAO Plant Production and Protection Series, Suttie, J.M. and Reynolds, S.G., 353, , Feng-Rui, L., Zhi-Yu, Z., Li-Ya, Z., Zhi-Gang, H. and Ling-Fen, K., 2007, Efficacy of Exclosures in Conserving Local Shrub Biodiversity in Xeric Sandy Grassland, Inner Mongolia, China, , USDA Forest Service, MSBP, 2010, Millennium Seed Bank Project. Seed Bank Database. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew., , , USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, 2010, Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN)16 June, , National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, Zheng, Y., Xie, Z., Gao, Y., Yu, Y. and Shimizu, H., 2005, Influence of light, temperature and water stress on germination of Hedysarum fruticosum, South African Journal of Botany2, 167-172, ,