The conservation status of Scorzonera persica Boiss. & Buhse, an endemic species from Iran

The Scorzonera L. (Asteraceae) has 18 endemic species in Iran. S. persica Boiss. & Buhse is one of the endemic species and has only been collected and reported from three localities in the country. Based on the IUCN guidelines, different categories and criteria were used to evaluate the status of the species as follows: Area of Occupancy (AOO), Extent of Occurrence (EOO), quality of habitat, size of the population, and regeneration. According to the field studies, S. persica occupies an area of 0.6 km2. In the analysis of GeoCAT software, the extent of occurrence was 2720 Km2. Based on our results, the conservation status of S. persica is defined as Critically Endangered (CR). Construction operations and grazing in the habitat of this species are among the life-threatening factors of this species, so it seems necessary to protect this species by protecting its habitat.