Jongbloed et al. (2003) considered this species to be ""Not common but widespread in the Hajar Mountains and Ru'us al-Jibal."" The species is also recorded for Abu Dhabi Emirate by Brown and Sakkir (2004) from rocky habitats, and recorded as present in dams and water breakers in the western foothills of the Hajar Mountains by Mahmoud et al. (2018). However, the draft Red Data Book for the UAE (MEW 2010) considered the species to be unconfirmed for the UAE; ""Very similar to S. macrosiphon; Rechinger in Flora Iranica (p.445) states that there is a possibility of hybridisation with S. macrophiphon - but at present there is not enough material seen to establish the identity of S. spinosa."" Plants of the World online (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2020) give the native range as from northern Africa, through the Arabian Peninsula (KSA and the Gulf states) to Afghanistan, whilst Will and Claßen-Bockhoff (2014) appear to restrict the species to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean.