The distribution of this species in the UAE is uncertain due to potential confusion with other members of the genus. The species is absent from Jongbloed et al. (2003), however their record of Reseda arabica from the base of Jebel Hafeet may refer to R. muricata (MEW 2010). Feulner (2016) considered only R. aucheri to be present in Wadi Wurayah National Park. Mahmoud et al. (2018) found the species on gravel plains in their study along the Hajar Mountains in the UAE. Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium hold a specimen from a garden in Wadi-Al Helo; it is uncertain if this specimen is native or cultivated. The species is native to Egypt and Asia-Temperate (eastern Mediterranean, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula; Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species has been recorded from the base of Jebel Hafeet (Jongbloed et al. 2003). However, this is considered to be an unconfirmed record as the plant may actually have been Reseda muricata (MEW 2010). More recently, around 6 individuals were found to occur in Al Ain, within a wadi at the base of Jebel Hafeet (Sharjah Seed Bank and Herbarium pers. comm. 2019). Globally, the native range of this species spans across northern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

It is described as being widespread and a major vegetation element in the western part of the UAE (Böer and Chaudhary 1999). Feulner states that this species is found in the northern Emirates, as it is not found in large dunes to the south or in Abu Dhabi (G.R. Feulner, in litt, MEW 2010). The native range of this species spreads from the Sahara to northwest India (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is found on inland sand dunes (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2019). It has also been recorded (a single locality within a cultivated field) from the Ru'us al-Jibal (Feulner 2011). Jongbloed et al. (2003) shows (as the synonym Astragalus hauarensis Boiss.) a coastal distribution along the Arabian Gulf coast, however, this is incorrect (G. Brown pers. comm. 2019). This species has a very wide global distribution, from north-west Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, north to south-east European Russia, and east to Pakistan and northwestern China (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

In the UAE, this species is very widespread, absent from western and southern areas and from the Hajar Mountains and the east coast (Jongbloed et al. 2003), although present on Jebel Hafeet (Wadi Tarabat; Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012). It occurs on the coastal white sands at Taweela (Brown et al. 2007). The global range of this species is across northern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, through the Arabian Peninsula, to Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is widespread throughout the Hajar Mountains and south of the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Judas 2016). Globally, the native range of this species spans from Macaronesia to Iran (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

The species is widespread along the Arabian Gulf coast and inland in the northern Emirates (Jongbloed et al. 2003) to Ajman and R'as al-Khaimah (Karim and Dakheel 2006). Karim and Dakheel (2006) considered it to have a clumped distribution in sandy areas of the salty coastal lowlands. The global range of this species is across northern Africa to the eastern Mediterranean, through the Arabian Peninsula, to Iran and Iraq (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

This species is widespread across the Hajar Mountains (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The species is also present in the Ru'us al-Jibal to around 500 m asl (Feulner 2011). The species is absent from Wadi Wurayah National Park, but is found in the park buffer zone (Feulner 2016). Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium and the RBG Kew Seed Survey hold records for the east coast and the plains to the west of the Hajar Mountains that may be the result of anthropogenic transport (several of the records occur along roads). The global distribution of this species is across North Africa to north-east Africa, through the Arabian Peninsula, to Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (African Plant Database 2019).

This species has been recorded from scattered locations in the Ru'us al-Jibal (Western 1989, Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). In that area it has been recorded at high elevations up to around 1,500 m (Feulner 2011). It was also recorded as 'rare' in the Al-Ain area (Fawzi and Karim 2007). Although Plants of the World Online lists the UAE as a native country of occurrence for this species (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019), a more detailed distribution of this species within the country is lacking. The species is not recorded from Oman, and the identity of records from the UAE require confirmation (S. Ghazanfar pers. comm. 2019). Globally, the native range of this species extends from Spain across northern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).

Within the UAE, this species is widespread within the northern and central desert of the country (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It is also known to occur in the Ru'us al-Jibal at elevations up to 1250 m (G.R. Feulner, in litt, MEW 2010, Feulner 2011). Globally, this species is native to Africa, Pakistan and temperate Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).